Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below 
gymrat
New member
The City of Toronto (formerly Metro) has been conducting environmental assessments (under the Environmental Assessment Act) since 1980 to replace their Keele Valley Landfill, which closed in 2002. Having spent over $150 million, they examined sites within their own political boundaries, in York Region and in other parts of Ontario and the USA. After Toronto decided to send their municipal solid waste to Kirkland Lake in 2000, in Sept/Oct of 2000 the Matachewan First Nation, the Wabun Tribal Council, the Timiskaming First Nation, area farmers and citizens blockaded the railway to the Adams Mine. This created interregional conflict because of the differing environmental management priorities of highly urbanized Southern Ontario and rural Northern Ontario. Furthermore, over 2000 protesters from Northern Ontario “invaded” Toronto and demonstrated at City Council, prompting Toronto Council to renege on their deal with Rail Cycle North. Instead of sending their waste to Northern Ontario, Toronto Council entered into a contract to export their waste to the Republic Services Inc. Carleton Farms landfill in Wayne County, Michigan.
However, the year is now mid-2003 (hypothetically). Michigan recently passed legislation that banned the import of Canadian waste into their landfills, creating a disposal capacity crisis. While the US waste firms have challenged this legislation by appealing it to a NAFTA tribunal, it will take several years of legal wrangling to resolve. New York and several other states have followed suit and are in the process of drafting similar legislation. The border will be closed for several years and possibly indefinitely to Canadian waste after a one year grace period. These events have created a crisis situation.
In response to this crisis, the Chair of Toronto’s Works Committee, Brad Duguid, has been lobbying the Minister of the Environment for an exemption (i.e. declaration) from the Environmental Assessment (EA) Act for a new energy-from-waste (EFW) incinerator in Toronto under the “emergency provisions” of the Act (a full EA would take several years to obtain approvals which are not guaranteed). The Mayor and others favour sending waste via rail-haul to the Adams Mine landfill in Kirkland Lake which already has EA Act approval to receive waste. Dr. Jack Layton, also a member of Works Committee, is opposed to incineration as well as the Adams Mine.
A
However, the year is now mid-2003 (hypothetically). Michigan recently passed legislation that banned the import of Canadian waste into their landfills, creating a disposal capacity crisis. While the US waste firms have challenged this legislation by appealing it to a NAFTA tribunal, it will take several years of legal wrangling to resolve. New York and several other states have followed suit and are in the process of drafting similar legislation. The border will be closed for several years and possibly indefinitely to Canadian waste after a one year grace period. These events have created a crisis situation.
In response to this crisis, the Chair of Toronto’s Works Committee, Brad Duguid, has been lobbying the Minister of the Environment for an exemption (i.e. declaration) from the Environmental Assessment (EA) Act for a new energy-from-waste (EFW) incinerator in Toronto under the “emergency provisions” of the Act (a full EA would take several years to obtain approvals which are not guaranteed). The Mayor and others favour sending waste via rail-haul to the Adams Mine landfill in Kirkland Lake which already has EA Act approval to receive waste. Dr. Jack Layton, also a member of Works Committee, is opposed to incineration as well as the Adams Mine.
A
