Latest news with #StevePinsonneault
CTV News
6 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Dresden area MPP absent for vote on controversial legislation in Toronto
Queen's Park is shown in Toronto, Monday, Feb. 20, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn Dresden area MPP Steve Pinsonneault was absent Wednesday from his seat at Queen's Park when Bill 5 was approved. Pinsonneault had previously broken with party rank by publicly voicing his opposition to the legislation. In a post on social media, Pinsonneault said even if he voted against the bill it wouldn't change the outcome. Late Wednesday, Liberal and NDP MPP's tried to persuade more Conservatives to vote against Bill 5: Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act. Among other things, the bill will exempt York1 Environmental Waste Solutions project on Irish School Road of a comprehensive environmental assessment. The company says they want to recycle construction materials and non-hazardous soils at the site. Officials also steadfastly maintain they landfill is existing, not new and they will not be shipping in household garbage. The province says they need Bill 5 to protect Ontario should the Americans impose tariffs on provincial garbage headed stateside. Chatham-Kent-Leamington MPP Trevor Jones voted in favour of the bill Wednesday.
Hamilton Spectator
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Ontario PC caucus member opposed to government's landfill plan in Dresden
A southwestern Ontario member of Premier Doug Ford's caucus is speaking out against his government's decision to cancel an environmental assessment for a landfill expansion in his riding. Steve Pinsonneault, who was elected last year in a byelection in Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, promised during that campaign to work to get an environmental assessment for the site and the government ordered one last year, but now it is backtracking. An omnibus bill before the legislature that would also give cabinet the power to suspend laws for certain projects by creating 'special economic zones' and change endangered species rules in a way critics say guts protections would also revoke the requirement for an environmental assessment for the Dresden, Ont., landfill proposal. Pinsonneault posted a video to Facebook saying he is opposed to that move. 'I've had thousands of emails, hundreds of phone calls, and several people in person come to talk to me about the York1 landfill in Dresden,' he said. 'People are angry, and quite frankly, so am I.' The premier's office and environment minister say it's necessary to move the project forward quickly to ensure the long-term stability of a waste system that is nearing its capacity. Ford has said Ontario sends about 40 per cent of its waste to the United States and President Donald Trump could turn it away if trade disputes were to escalate. The proposed 30-fold expansion of a dormant landfill north of the rural farming community of Dresden in Chatham-Kent has spawned local backlash and concerns about possible ecological effects. Locals fear any leaching from the landfill could be disastrous for the area waterways and endangered species. The property is also surrounded by prime agricultural land and the water around the site streams into the Sydenham River, home to some endangered species, including the spiny softshell turtle. Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff said there are other ways to expand landfill capacity in the province and the government should consider some of them instead of clearing environmental hurdles for a large dump to proceed just a 10-minute walk from downtown Dresden. 'People would not want to live there, and so you're basically signing a death certificate for Dresden by putting that dump there,' he said in an interview. 'It's a very vibrant community and to put that there, you might as well just put up the closed for business sign.' Other communities around the province should be backing the local opposition to the landfill expansion, Canniff said, because the government could look to bypass environmental processes elsewhere. 'What's next?' he said. 'This sets a tone to say, 'You know what? It's OK to bypass the process and just let industry do what they want to do.' We won't be the first and last.' Walpole Island First Nation, which is just downstream of the project, has called for a moratorium on the proposed expansion. 'This proposal threatens critical ecosystems, First Nation sovereignty, public health and safety, and reinforces an increasingly visible pattern of environmental racism, injustice, and constitutional neglect,' the First Nation wrote in a letter earlier this month. Pinsonneault said in the video that he has spoken to Ford and cabinet ministers about residents' concerns and his own concerns, but he is only one of 80 people within the PC caucus and however he votes on the bill won't change the outcome. 'As you can understand, I'm very frustrated,' he said. 'I do believe that the residents of Dresden need to know where their representative stands on this matter. I do not support this landfill. I personally spoke to the premier. I personally spoke to the ministers. I've told them of the concerns of this landfill, and I told them how I'm opposed to it.' The Liberals have asked the integrity commissioner to look into whether the government gave the project preferential treatment because it's backed by lucrative Progressive Conservative donors. Ford has said he doesn't know the developer and didn't look at who owned the project. Pinsonneault also said in the video he has never heard of or met the landfill owners and doesn't control who donates to his campaigns. 'I've been beat up pretty bad here on social media in the last three weeks, and due to my silence, I guess that's fair, but when my integrity comes into question, I feel it's time to speak out,' he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 21, 2025.
CBC
21-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Conservative MPP speaks out on Dresden landfill — and premier trying to fast-track it
Social Sharing Steve Pinsonneault says he's been silent for too long about his government's stance regarding a proposed landfill in the southwestern Ontario community of Dresden. The Lambton-Kent-Middlesex Conservative MPP, who was recently re-elected, says he doesn't support the rural dump. He also serves as parliamentary assistant to both the minister of emergency preparedness and response as well as the minister of rural affairs. In April, his government introduced Bill 5 — the Protect Ontario By Unleashing Our Economy Act. It includes language that would fast-track the project. There has been community pushback about the landfill for the past several months. Pinsonneault recently took to social media to say he doesn't support the project or the proposed legislation. "People are angry and quite frankly, so am I," said Pinsonneault, who pledged during his campaign that he'd get an environmental assessment in place. "As you can understand, I'm very frustrated. I deeply care for the people of Dresden. I went to school there, my kids went to school there and I do believe that the residents of Dresden need to know where the representative stands on this matter." After receiving what he referred to as "thousands" of emails and "hundreds" of phone calls about the landfill, Pinsonneault says he's personally spoken with Premier Doug Ford and the ministers involved. "I've told him of the concerns of this landfill and I told them how I'm opposed to it," he said in the social media video. According to Pinsonneault — who's also a former longtime Chatham-Kent councillor — the site will still be subject to a "strict environmental compliance process" despite having the environmental assessment removed if the bill becomes law. The province has also stated continued oversight would also be "strong," in a statement to CBC news. "I can assure I will make sure every process [is] followed to the letter of the law," he said. While saying it's "not a nice position" that the community has been put in, Pinsonneault also stated there's only so much he can do. "The reality is I'm one of 80 votes and no matter how I vote it's not going to change the outcome." He says he's never met or heard of the landfill's owners. Pinsonneault says he's been beaten up "pretty bad" on social media over the past few weeks and due to his silence he says that's "fair." "But when my integrity comes into question I feel it's time to speak out." Kingston MPP Ted Hsu recently asked Ontario's integrity commissioner to probe an alleged connection between Premier Ford's government and the Chatham-Kent landfill. Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the province wants to expand the dump site because of U.S.-Canada tensions and garbage capacity in the province. "We're relying on the U.S. again," Ford said to reporters earlier this month, stating 40 per cent of all Ontario trash goes to the U.S. "It takes one phone call from President Trump to … cut us off, and then what do we do? We have to prepare."
