Loss of Bill 32 unnecessary and disappointing

Bill 32 has been consigned to oblivion with Premier Dalton McGuinty’s prorogation of the Legislature. This is a matter of great regret.
Bill 32 could have been included in a House Leader’s motion that allowed government bills – and some private members’ bills – to be carried forward to a new session. It could have put an end to a divisive issue in Simcoe County by revoking the Certificate of Approval that allows Site 41 to be operated as a landfill site.
“I’m appalled by the hypocrisy of the County and of the Province,” said Judith Grant, chair of the Federation of Tiny Township Shoreline Associations, whose members played a key role in persuading MPPs from all parties to get Bill 32 past second reading.  “The Province passes the Clean Water Act that sets standards that this landfill would not meet, then supports an outmoded decision.  County Councillors vote to ‘halt’ work on the dumpsite under huge pressure from residents, then refuse to ask to have the C of A withdrawn.” Dump Site 41 has been a source of contention for nearly 30 years in Simcoe County. Its environmental assessment is the only one in Ontario ever to have been turned down by the Environmental Assessment Board.  That was in the 1980s.  But the then Liberal government overrode this by Cabinet order.
After decades of protest and wrangling. not to mention the advent of new schemes for waste reduction and management, Simcoe County Council finally voted last fall not to proceed with their mega-dump on Site 41 in Tiny Township.  But they left its Certificate of Approval in place.
Grant questioned whether the work has been truly halted. “The mothballing has not been complete.  Many key engineering elements — the pond, the berms, the roads — are still in place.”
“We followed the rules, we played the game and then they moved the goal posts,” said Anne Ritchie-Nahuis of the Site 41 group. “This has happened time and time again. The political process is not here to serve the people.”
Ritchie-Nahuis said the experience was very disappointing for the thousands  of people who worked so hard to get Bill 32 to the point where it had been referred to the Standing Committee on Justice Policy.
She regretted that Simcoe County councillors had not supported Bill 32, as it would have provided compensation to the County, something that Environment Minister John Gerretsen has opposed.