Finally A Settlement

Thursday, 19 April 2018 05:21

Oxford County is not going to have to make any major changes to their Official Plan as it relates to zero waste.

WOODSTOCK - A settlement has been reached in the The Walker Environmental Group appeal of the Oxford County Official Plan amendment.

The Local Planning Appeal Tribunal approved a settlement after three days of witnesses from the County. The settlement preserves the ground breaking elements of OPA 197 including maintaining policies which discourage the establishment of new landfills in Oxford County that are not primarily intended to meet the waste disposal needs of County residents and businesses, and a rigorous new set of planning criteria for evaluating proposals for new landfills seeking to locate in the County.

The settlement also involves clarification that the already approved Environment Assessment Terms of Reference govern the sitting requirements for the Walker Environmental Landfill Proposal. This will avoid a Tribunal concern about conflict between the provincial environmental assessment approval process and County policies. The tougher siting policies remain in the Plan, and the revised policies provide more clarity on how future applications must integrate these tougher County siting criteria within the provincial EA approval process.

Once the final Tribunal order is issued, Oxford County will post a modified version of OPA 197 online at www.oxfordcounty.ca.

In a press release the County states that OPA 197 confirms Oxford County’s place as a provincial leader with respect to solid waste reduction and minimization and waste disposal avoidance. In particular, the new policies to discourage large landfills which do not primarily serve County needs, and the rigorous criteria for review of landfill proposals, are unique amongst Ontario municipalities and among the most robust in the province in providing the municipality with greater control over waste management issues moving forward.