Richmond dump opened on Beechwood Road, owned by the Sutcliffe family, with no environmental assessment or regulations. Assessments would have shown that the limestone under the dump site was fractured and that building a dump on the site could be unsafe to surrounding residents.
Dumping takes place on the bare ground (no liner). Waste was also burned on site. Dump site serviced local residents. No provincial licensing was required at this time.
Landfill licensing becomes mandatory. The province of Ontario approves site as it is.
The site is approved to accept 125,000 tonnes of waste annually from across Ontario. Hydro-geologists begin to express concerns over whether this is a suitable site for a landfill operation.
Laidlaw Waste Systems Ltd. bought the RIchmond Landfill from the Sutcliffe family.
Site purchased by Canada Waste Services (now Waste Management of Canada Corporation).
Waste Management announces plans to expand the landfill to accept 750,000 tonnes of waste and 250,000 tonnes of contaminated soils annually.
Tyendinaga residents retain CELA (Canadian Environmental Law Association) in battle against Richmond landfill expansion.
Residents outraged at minister's approval of proposed environmental assessment for the Richmond landfill expansion
Mohawks and local residents get their day in court to oppose mega-dump proposal.
The Ontario Divisional Court ruled that the Minister of the Environment has no jurisdiction to exclude key environmental planning issues - such as "need" and alternatives - from EA planning processes under the Act.
Canadian Waste Services Inc. ("CWS") appealed against a decision of the Ontario Divisional Court that the Environment Minister does not have jurisdiction under the EA Act to exclude fundamental environmental planning issues (i.e. "need" or "alternatives to") from EA processes.
"We are very disappointed in the Court of Appeal judgment," said Chief R. Donald Maracle of the MBQ. "Our community’s significant concerns about the dump expansion will not be adequately addressed by the narrow EA process sanctioned by the court". The Court of Appeal judgment does not mean that the CWS landfill expansion has been approved. Instead, the judgment sets out the parameters of the EA process that CWS must follow if it wishes to pursue the proposed expansion.
Mohawks and residents' group file appeal applications with the Supreme Court of Canada. In their leave applications, the MBQ and Tyendinaga Township residents argue that the case raises serious issues of national importance that should be heard and determined by the Supreme Court of Canada.
The Supreme Court of Canada announced today that it would not hear appeals brought by the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte and concerned Tyendinaga Township residents. The intended appeals challenged the legality of the environmental assessment process being used in relation to the proposed mega-expansion of the Richmond Landfill near Napanee. In accordance with its usual practice, the Supreme Court of Canada did not provide any reasons for its refusal to hear the appeals.
“People need to have safe water in their homes. It’s a very basic need,” Maracle said. “But the money will have to come from somewhere. The band doesn’t have that kind of money.” In 2003, a study done by consultants showed nearly 60 per cent of 640 wells tested were polluted, said Maracle. The results did not include an additional 357 untested wells. “The bottom line is … the majority of these wells are not safe. At least 123 wells tested had E. coli. Another 244 wells tested had total coliforms.”
The Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte and Tyendinaga Township residents requested the Director of Ontario’s Environmental Assessment & Approvals Branch to issue a “Deficiency Statement” in relation to the environmental assessment (EA) for the proposed expansion of the Richmond Landfill.
the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte (MBQ), Township of Tyendinaga, and local residents attended at Queen’s Park to present their strong objections to the proposed expansion of the Richmond Landfill near Napanee. "We regard this proposal as an environmentally unsound undertaking that should be rejected by the Ministry of the Environment without further delay," stated Magaret Walsh, Reeve of the Township of Tyendinaga. "In our opinion, the site is fundamentally unsuitable for landfilling, especially given the presence of shallow soil, fractured bedrock, nearby watercourses, and numerous residences, farms, and other sensitive land uses that depend upon wells for drinking water, livestock and irrigation purposes."
"We are greatly disappointed and frustrated by Waste Management’s refusal to let our consultants conduct on-site water sampling," said Chief R. Donald Maracle of the MBQ. "Our community is gravely concerned about the quality of surface water and groundwater flowing into Mohawk Territory from the vicinity of the Richmond Landfill. That is why we approached Waste Management for permission to undertake on-site water sampling for various contaminants, including tritium because, to our knowledge, it does not appear that this substance has been tested on-site since 1999, even though it is a useful parameter for tracking leachate [garbage juice]."
The Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, local municipalities, and concerned citizens held a Queen’s Park news conference to urge the Ontario Government to reject the proposed expansion of the Richmond Landfill site and to commence an investigation of groundwater impacts of the existing site.
The Ministry of Environment’s “Government Review” report recommends, “that the proposed undertaking not be approved due to concerns identified by the ministry, members of the Government Review Team, the MBQ, and the public.”
Waste Management of Canada Corporation withdrew its environmental assessment for its proposed Richmond landfill expansion.
There are currently 785 wells in Tyendinaga, and approximately 265 units are on the Municipal water supply from the neighbouring Town of Deseronto. Health Canada recommended Tyendinaga Mohawk Council place a Territory wide Precautionary Boil Water Advisory for those members utilizing ground water wells. The precautionary BWA is in place due to the possibility of water borne parasites (spore forming bacteria) in the ground water, such as cryptosporidium or giardia which could potentially result in life threatening implications if consumed. The water borne parasites could be present in Tyendinaga’s ground water due to the compromised nature of the geology, which has a shallow overburden with fractured limestone bedrock.
“The Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte are downstream of the Richmond Landfill and the environment is at risk of the negative transboundary impacts,” stated Chief R. Donald Maracle of the MBQ. “The closure of the Richmond Landfill Site is long overdue, and the Ontario Minister of the Environment must act to protect the environment and the people by insisting that a proper closure plan be implemented.”
Nearby houses are having water problems and collapsed wells for the first time ever. 80 per cent of the community’s wells are contaminated. The nearby Quinte Mohawk School has to provide bottled water for students because the tap water is toxic. The kids can’t even wash their hands because they could get sick if they put their hands in their mouth.
Tyendinaga is one of 37 First Nations communities within the borders of Ontario that is on a boil water advisory. Approximately 50% of people on the reserve have to deal with a boil water advisory,
The Tyendinaga Support Committee – Montreal
The Concerned Citizens of Tyendinaga and Environs launched its campaign to close the Richmond Landfill at a public meeting. “I’ve been going to meetings to close this…since before I could drive. Here are my kids…We’ve had enough. It’s time to close this,” said Iain Gardiner, a Callaghan Road resident.
At the request of the Ministry, WM has since submitted a closure plan for the site, which says it will close when it reaches capacity. Site manager Harris says there is approximately 35,000 tons of remaining capacity and, given that the site is currently accepting 10,000 tons of waste per year, capacity will be reached within four years at current levels.
The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario delivered a clear message to Queen’s Park: close the Richmond Landfill. The site poses significant environmental risks and the government has made a serious mistake in allowing it to remain open. This announcement warrants immediate action from the Minister of the Environment and it may put an end to a decades-long battle fought by concerned citizens and the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte to protect their local environment.
WM announced a proposal to develop the Beechwood Road Environmental Centre,a new,multipurpose waste managementfacility to serve the Town of Greater Napanee and thesurrounding region. The newlandfill will be constructed on anew area on the current site, using the latest technology andprocesses to ensure the highestavailable standards of safety and efficacy.
“In our view, the hydrogeological characteristics of this area – such as highly fractured bedrock, thin soil cover, and proximity to watercourses – make this location fundamentally unsuitable for the establishment of the BREC landfill,” declared Margaret Walsh, Reeve of Tyendinaga Township.
"An expansion of Waste Management’s Richmond Landfill, adjacent to the proposed BREC site, was not approved in 2006 after a seven year environmental assessment process.
During the 30 day public comment period on the proposed ToR, approximately 1,700 people signed, delivered, faxed, or emailed written comments to the MOE to object to the proposed EA process and the BREC landfill.
A detailed report by an expert hydrogeologist retained by local citizens has raised serious concerns about leachate contamination at the Richmond Landfill site.
After reviewing WM’s facility inspection logs, the Provincial Officer was not “confident that the Company is providing accurate information within an acceptable timeframe." On the same date, MOE staff observed “a significant amount of water” discharging from the outlet structure, and MOE staff estimated “a discharge rate of over 20,000 litres per day." The MOE issued a Provincial Offences Notice (ticket) to WM “for failure to comply with the terms and conditions” of its Certificate of Approval.
The Provincial Officer re-issued the site licence under the Environmental Protection Act to impose further requirements upon WM regarding inspection, maintenance and reporting in relation to the storm water management facility.
The site reached its capacity and was capped and shut down.
“We had to lose a daughter for it to trigger some action down here,” she said. “Things just don't change here. It's scary because I have two other kids.”
2 small children diagnosed with ALL (Acute lymphoblastic leukemia) in the same month
Diagnosed with ALL (Acute lymphoblastic leukemia)
The Concerned Citizens Committee of Tyendinaga and Environs (CCCTE) applied to Ontario’s Environmental Review Tribunal for leave to appeal certain conditions contained in the latest Richmond Landfill approval issued by the Ministry of the Environment.
The Beechwood Road Environmental Centre will focus on waste diversion, diverting as much waste as possible away from disposal to reuse and recycling for purposes. It will also include additional lands set aside for community recreational purposes and wildlife habitat as well as a state-of-the-art, environmentally engineered landfill for the disposal of residual waste while generating clean renewable energy. Waste Management has a strong commitment to the Town of Greater Napanee, its immediate neighbours and the surrounding communities. This commitment extends beyond just meeting regulatory standards to being responsible environmental steward and engaged corporate citizen.
Ontario’s Environmental Review Tribunal granted the Concerned Citizens Committee of Tyendinaga and Environs (CCCTE) the right to appeal various conditions contained in the current site licence for the Richmond Landfill.
“Our overall goal is to ensure robust monitoring and effective contingency plans at the Richmond Landfill, which finally closed in 2011,” said Mike Bossio, Chairperson of the CCCTE. “Filing our appeal is the next major step towards achieving this public interest objective.”
“Leukemia is tough. They go through extensive chemotherapy. They have to kill it. Kill the cells,” says Brant. “It’s just one of those things. They either kill it, stop it and you go into remission, or you just don’t come home.” All children live in a concentrated area and people in the community are searching for answers as to what is behind the cases. The parents have a hunch.
A boy was airlifted to Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto last week to undergo treatment for brain tumours.
While seeing his daughter battling the disease since June and Dawn Sero's daughter Paula, 13, die from it last September, Brant called for an emergency meeting at Tyendinaga's community centre, Thursday night, to ask Maracle and his council to start testing water on a regular basis to prove water on the Mohawk Territory did not contribute to cases of childhood cancer in the population of 2,600.
Officials from the Health Unit, Ontario Clean Water, and several government agencies were on a panel that answered questions and gave opinions to residents. Medical Officer of Health, Doctor Richard Schabas came to talk about Leukemia in three children on the Territory. Schabas says research out shows there’s no connection between environmental issues and A.L. Leukemia.
Health Canada experts will conduct a battery of tests on several wells in the community to determine if there are contaminants in the water that might pose a health risk for residents. “There is an awful lot of fear about the situation,” Maracle said. “We have to do something to alleviate the concerns about the environment.”
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