What is this all about?

The Edwards Landfill, which has been dormant for many years, is being restarted. The site currently contains hazardous waste that is to be cleaned up by the owner/operator. The proposal is to change the Certificate of Approval, which currently allows 10 tonnes per day, to allow 500 tonnes per day (9 tonnes domestic, 491 tonnes of industrial, commercial and institutional waste from anywhere in Ontario). The site is called Edwards Landfill because it was once a train station called the Edward Station and gypsum that was mined there was sent from this Station.

When did this happen?

This landfill was used for the first time in 1959.

Certificate of Approval was first issued on April 22, 1971. It was subsequently renewed or reissued several times. It was renewed with no expiry on October 7, 1980.

Haldimand Norfolk Sanitary Landfill Inc. took ownership in February 1974.

Campbell & Courtney Limited bought the corporation and landfill in 2001.

The dump was never closed as per Ministry definitions. The site has always maintained a Certificate of Approval although it was, at times, dormant.

The original reopenning proposal for 10 tonnes a day was posted on Nov. 11, 2002 and was approved on May 7, 2004.

The proposal for the increased tonnage rate of fill was posted on June 10, 2004. A thirty-day comment period from June 10 to July 10, 2004 was closed with no submissions from the community.

The co-owner of the Landfill Site, Mr. Frank Campbell from the Mississauga based firm, Haldimand-Norfolk Sanitary Landfill Inc., has stated that they will be accepting garbage by February 2005.

In 2006 HALT took the Ministry of Environment to court to try to have the entire process declared invalid and force a full environmental hearing. The court chose to uphold the ability of the MOE to reopen dormant dumps without having to go through any environmental review.

May 2007 - Tests show PAH's found in wells along Hwy #3.

September 2007 - HNSLI is in receivership. The cell is almost complete and there's no timeline regarding cleaning up the toxic mess.

Where is this happening?

Pt Lot 24, Conc. 1 NTR, East Side of Brooks Road, one concession northeast of Cayuga, off of Highway 3. The surrounding area is recognized as being a significant wetland by the Ministry of Natural Resources and is part of the North Cayuga Slough Forest and part of the Carolinian forest. The site was zoned as a landfill prior to the Provincial Wetlands policy being created. The site received an exemption from the Wetlands policy in August 1994 (grandfathered out). It was, therefore, not rezoned and the Certificate of Approval remained open.

Why here?

Haldimand County is a rural community and land is available here. The soil has a clay base which according to provincial landfill standards is ideal. The Ontario government is currently sending a huge amount of waste to Michigan and there are strong rumours that the border to Ontario's garbage may soon be closed. The Edwards Landfill was dormant and should have been closed years ago but was missed by the Ministry of Environment.