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Ontario PC MPP Breaks Ranks Over Landfill Expansion Bill

Steve Pinsonneault opposes his party's decision to cancel an environmental assessment for a Dresden landfill expansion, citing ecological and community concerns.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks at a press conference at Queen’s Park in Toronto on Wednesday, May 14, 2025.
Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP Steve Pinsonneault has broken his silence since the Progressive Conservative government introduced Bill 5 last month that includes a provision to end the requirement for an environmental assessment on a proposed expansion of the Dresden landfill. PHOTO File

Overview

  • The Ontario PC government introduced an omnibus bill to cancel a legally required environmental assessment for a 30-fold landfill expansion in Dresden, citing waste capacity concerns.
  • Steve Pinsonneault, a PC caucus member representing Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, publicly opposed the decision, expressing frustration and highlighting broken campaign promises.
  • The landfill expansion has drawn significant backlash from local residents and Indigenous groups, including Walpole Island First Nation, over ecological risks and environmental racism claims.
  • The landfill site is located on prime farmland and near the Sydenham River, which supports endangered species like the spiny softshell turtle.
  • Despite Pinsonneault's dissent, the PC majority is expected to pass the bill, which also includes provisions for special economic zones and weakened species protections.