• Protecting Water and Farmland in Simcoe County

Site 41 COA issue best dealt with now

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In Simcoe County
Jun 13th, 2010
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Site 41 opponents shouldn’t be focusing on the next Simcoe County council to make sure the controversial landfill never opens.
They should continue to pressure this group of county councillors.
Last summer, under extreme public pressure, this county council decided not to go ahead with its plans for the Tiny Township landfill. But the certificate of approval, issued by Ontario’s Environment Ministry, which still allows Site 41 to be used as a dump, remains in place.
The certificate could probably be revoked if county council asked the MOEto do it, but so far that hasn’t happened.
It hasn’t even been formally discussed, at least in public, by county council.
Barrie Examiner March 23 1010
Site 41 opponents should be pressuring this county council to have the discussion, in public, and make a decision on the certificate.
Instead, they are mobilizing their efforts toward the Oct. 25 municipal elections and the next batch of county councillors.
Do county residents really want to elect politicians in October based on one issue, Site 41? And do they want to saddle the new council with making a decision on the certificate of approval?
It would be far more efficient toend the debate during this term of county council. This is the group which was going to open the landfill, despite the opposition, then changed its mind.
But it’s a half-measure unless the certificate of approval is removed.
The next county council could look at the new waste management strategy, which is to be ready in June, and decide that Site 41 is still the best option to handle Simcoe’s garbage.
Or the property could be sold to a private interest, which could decide the best use of this land is a dump. Or flip it to a company that wants it to become a landfill.
Elected politicians can be pressured to change their minds. It’s much tougher with private companies looking to maximize the use of property to maximize profits.
But getting rid of the certificate of approval means the next county council, or any private buyer of Site 41, would have to start from scratch to turn it into a landfill.
Sure, this could happen another way.
Simcoe North MPP Garfield Dunlop is to re-introduce his private member’s bill this week to revoke Site 41’s certificate of approval.
Which is all well and fine, except that Dunlop is a Conservative and tehre’s a majority Liberal government in Queen’s Park.
And this provincial government seems reluctant to stick its nose into local matters unless there’s no other choice.
The Liberals took forever to fix the Barrie-Innisfil boundary dispute, hoping for a local solution. And they’ve taken a hands-off approach to Barrie Central Collegiate’s fate, insisting it’s a matter for the local school board.
Persuading this county council to deal with the certificate of approval now is the best course of action for Site 41 opponents.
All it would take is one councillor to raise the matter of the certificate of approval, at a county council meeting, to get it off the floor.
Then a decision could be made. If it’s not, then Site 41 opponents could be circling the wagons again

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