Stop new dumps and dump expansions

September 12th, 2009
News release from the Green Party of Ontario

Liberal policy ignoring the garbage issue burdens municipalities.

Toronto, Ont. – March 1, 2007 – Ontario produces mountains of garbage expecting rural citizens to bury it in their neighbourhoods. The Liberal policy of ignoring the garbage issue unfairly burdens municipalities with what is clearly provincial jurisdiction.
“Ontarians must refuse to accept the loss of farm land, the threat to ground water, the smell, the truck traffic, and the reduced property values that garbage dumps bring to their communities,” says Green Party of Ontario leader Frank de Jong, “only then will government and industry be forced to stop producing materials and products that cannot be reused, recycled or composted.”
The Green Party supports the volunteer work of Ontarians fighting landfill approvals and expansions throughout the province such as: * The citizens in Haldimand County (HALT) who are fighting the Edwards Landfill. This waste disposal corporation has applied for a 5000 percent increase in their operating license for a dump in a wetland – www.haltthedump.ca. * A determined opposition to the nearly 300% expansion of the mountainous Ottawa Dump on Carp Road. This is occurring in our nation?s capital, which already has an abundance of landfill capacity, and over 100,000 residents living within 10 km of the site – www.nodump.ca. * The residents of Simcoe County who continue their 22 year struggle against the County and the Ministry of the Environment. The County and Ministry wish to dump garbage on a class 1 farmland, up to 3 metres from water which has been identified as being purer than 5,000 year old Arctic Ice – www.stopdumpsite41.ca. * Those who maintain a widespread disapproval of Greater Toronto Area garbage being shipped to Green Lane landfill west of London.
Julie Barker, a Midland citizen working against the Site 41 dump says, “We must learn from nature’s no-waste cycles. Shifting to zero waste is a huge challenge and our generation has the responsibility to make this happen.”
“Instead of propagating old solutions which only postpone inevitable failure, Ontario must choose to innovate in favour of sustainable infrastructure, clean environments and healthy neighbourhoods,” says Ottawa valley resident, John Cook.
Germany already diverts 80% of its waste, as does Halifax, NS. The Green Party of Ontario supports the following alternatives to reduce the need for new and expanded landfills: * The Ontario government must nurture a competitive environment for the development of a depot industry. Residential solid waste like electronics, furniture (including mattresses), textiles, building material (drywall, wood, metal, stone), household items, and hazardous waste must be recovered and re-processed. * Initiation of a program to progress towards total waste diversion, which will require extended production responsibility legislation from the federal and provincial governments. This type of initiative is already progressing in other countries around the world, and the Ontario government needs to catch up. * Organic recycling must become part of the basic level of service in municipal recycling programs.
The first step in moving towards sustainable waste management is opposing new landfills and expansions to eliminate this environmentally damaging alternative to real solutions.

Edit | 9 Comments »

Kelly says:
September 12, 2009 at 10:24 pm  (Edit)
Politics is much like our waste problem – we move back and forth between a Liberal and Conservative government like we jump from landfills to incineration and back. Let’s step out of this crazy, disfunctional, distructive cycle and support greener opportunities that are available to us. Really, it’s time!!!

jim tolnai says:
September 13, 2009 at 10:51 am  (Edit)
Ever since the Moratorium I have been seeing the slow decline in people’s interest in this Site 41 issue. I have watched as very few posters are forth coming and many items receive no comments. With thousands of people involved how can there be such a low interest in any aspect of this fight which is still on? Sure the core group whoever they are keeps sites like this going but the mass involvement seems to have fizzled.
I myself have been toying with the idea to say adios as well. It seems that the core group doesn’t appreciate questions or comments that criticizes or questions them. Twice now I have been edited, once down to gibberish and once my comments were removed completely. So folk’s for those who thought as I did that this was a free and open forum, think again. Maybe that is why there are only a handful of people making comments??? Maybe they have been commenting but have either been edited or simply not allowed to be posted.
This is a very troubling thought. I am a big boy and not just complaining but warning all that this core group may not be all that they pretend to be?? They take exception to politicians not allowing descent or people to Speak Out in their public forums but then the same is being done by them. Is the entire core group involved in censoring??? One does not know because the core does not wish to be identified according to the gal who actually does the censoring. So I have many questions but have received no or none answers. Very disturbing.
So come on people in the core this is not all about you regardless of your actual or perceived sacrifices. This is about letting people Speak Out and be involved. This is not about thin skins. This is about our environment and about our water. But most important it is about our children, grandchildren and all future generations. So please stay on the soapbox but either allow others up on it or allow them to bring their own to stand on. The way I see this is that you people have lost your way. Your perceived success has gotten to you. You became successful because descent was allowed. You will only stay successful if you stop thinking as do the Guergis’ that only your opinions and only your words matter.
Guergis’s political career is over and so will your cause be over because it is being killed by apathy. People aren’t stupid and can read whose comments are always posted. People see that the reality is that this whole thing is being orchestrated by as small a group as those who sit on council and county managers who pull their strings.
So for me I want to be involved but not at a price of selling out my principals. Not at the price of not Speaking Out or holding my tongue. To the core group you have crossed the line even if you don’t know about it. I bet like the people on council whom know only what Guergis and his bunch tell them many of core group people haven’t a clue what it is that is going on until it will be too late. At that time and the same as politicians claim “I didn’t know” members of the core group will be saying the same thing. You have a chance to pull the baby from the bath water. But first you need to return to what really matters. It will be interesting to see if this comment will go unedited or even be allowed on this site. What happens next will be an interesting experiment in Democracy.
jim tolnai

Ann Truyens says:
September 13, 2009 at 1:14 pm  (Edit)
I fully agree with Green Party of Ontario leader Frank de Jong, that government has to force industry to stop producing materials and products that cannot be reused, recycled or composted..so we can move towards Zero Waste.

I think we should give the Green Party a chance to lead. All the other parties just have the same agenda.

Let’s all vote GREEN in the next election and start a GREEN revolution!!

http://www.greenparty.ca/
http://www.gpo.ca/

linda b says:
September 13, 2009 at 6:47 pm  (Edit)
Jim, I hope you do continue to contribute.

I am sure that everyone is taking a much needed breath to attend to some other matters and to gain fresh energy for the continued fight.

I know many people devoted their entire summer to the cause, whether at the camp or letter writing, or any one of dozens of ways of contributing – using vacation time and every free moment.

Hopefully council will end this fight at the next meeting, but I have no doubt that people can once again become mobilized as need be.

And regarding other comments on this post, Green is nice but so is Orange! http://www.ndp.ca and http://ontariondp.com/

Linda

Georgy says:
September 14, 2009 at 2:16 am  (Edit)
I’ve been voting for the Green Party for years. I’m so sick and tired of the government leadership or lack there of by the Liberals & Conservatives. Only thing they’re ‘liberal’ about is their vacations and ‘business trips’.
As for Jim Tolnai’s comments, I’ve noticed that Jim has posted similar comments on other posts.
Are you looking to stir the pot, vent or be constructive here. If you actually look at all the names over the past few months of posting; it’s basically the same group of people posting; Not that many new posters. Some people like to read what’s going on here to keep up with what’s going on. It doesn’t mean we are losing momentum just because we don’t make posts or comments. There will be the same amount of people coming out to rallys if not more. This is a big deal what everyone involved has done with getting the Moritorium. I’m sure Vicki and the rest that were arrested are working diligently in getting those charges dropped. I really think you need to cut everyone some slack here.Slowly but surely we’re making history here and it will continue on with getting the Peaker Plant in the Holland Marsh kiboshed too. Do you know about that? This government has gotten away with spending our tax dollars frivolously and like someone else said, spending money on hiring experts when we the people hire them for what we’re assuming they are experts at. Take a look at how many Dumps Genivar is building in Ontario right now. It’s rediculous and it’s ALL ABOUT THE MONEY!!!
Our Government is just another name for Organized Crime.

mr. wilsonmr. says:
September 14, 2009 at 10:10 am  (Edit)
it looks like jim was able to get alot off his chest and i’m glad of that,

i can’t pretend to be a long time member of this group.
i was unaware the struggle was going on untill the injunction against the protest came down.

i beleave most of the editing of my posts are an attempt to avoid problems regarding libel laws.
so do what you have to do.

some people may have taken the implementation of the moritorium as a sign of victory.
but untill the sept.22 vote to finally stop the construction and dewatering process and the rescinding of the certificate of approval
our fate is still up in the air.

i think it would be a mistake to underestimate
tony guergis.

jim tolnai says:
September 14, 2009 at 12:33 pm  (Edit)
Georgy you are absolutely right. I am trying to stir but not the pot. I am trying to stir the people. It is all very well and nice that people are taking time off. But the Guergis’ aren’t resting. In a war as I stated before, some can move to the rear but certainly not the majority. If everyone moves to the rear for R&R then the rear becomes the Front and we lose ground. I am ever so pleased that those who are Speaking Out are doing so. Now get others to do the same. Sitting on laurels people will find that those laurels may just have some burrs and thistles among them. So don’t get comfortable as this ain’t over until the fat lady sings. As of now it looks like the fat lady has Laryngitis. No disrespect to fat ladies meant it’s just an old saying that epresses my feeling very well on this matter. By the way folks I have been Speaking Out now for over 8 years on my own web-site http://www.speakingout.bis and in print. I have financed the last 8 years out of my own pocket. I have held funraisers that brought in thousands of dollars of which every cent went to the causes I have supported. I have never taken one cent back for any expenses and have always paid out of pocket those expenses.
When I Speak Out against Guergis or any other enemy of people it’s funny I am never criticized for doing so. But it’s OK as I write knowing that some will be upset. After all that is why I do it. I would be surprised if there wasn’t any reaction. Imagine how upset Guergis and the backroom boys are with me if some of you are upset with what I have been saying about this???
When I entered into what I do eight years ago I vowed that what is good for the goose is good for the gander. I would not be true to myself if I overlooked these things that bother me just because I am fighting for the same cause. Right is right and wrong is wrong regardless of which side one is on.
Spend a bit of time browsing my site. You will see that if nothing else I take on all whether we are or are not on the same side. As i said wrong is wrong even if it is your own mother who is doing it.
jim tolnai

donna deneault says:
September 14, 2009 at 1:14 pm  (Edit)
I consider myself part of the coalition, if you will. I have not let one day go by w/o doing something toward stopping site 41, since I first learned of it almost 5 years ago…whether it’s letters to Gerretsen and McGuinty, delivering flyers, phoning Queen’s Park, emailing the Councillors on a weekly basis, printing fact sheets and bulk letters to be signed and I mail them myself…I emailed my mayor of TAY as well. He will verbally request the Revokation of the C of A and the closing of Site 41 once and for all (this Wed the 16th).

I don’t believe we’ve gone away…I agree that we are catching a breath so we can keep going…the next big event is Sept 22nd.

I attended the Aboriginal Ceremony last Sat. Sep 12 at the site. It was wonderful and I would not have missed it !

Take care all ! – donna D.

jim tolnai says:
September 16, 2009 at 6:11 am  (Edit)
A great example of Guergis and his Goons not resting is the news that they are wanting to spend $250,000 for a PR firm. That is the point I have been trying to make for the last couple of weeks. We can not afford to R&R. The pressure we put on these people must be consistent and never ending. Until the scoundrels are gone we can not rest. Until we elect honest people in our individual municipalities who support the water, environment and the people instead of this backroom boys Organization nothing will change. We need to start campaigning for the next election now. We need to bring the fight to them. We can not afford to allow the front to move because we left it. Guergis and the Goons must GO!!!!