Zorra Township Not a Willing Host to a Proposed Landfill

Thursday, 8 July 2021 11:29

After nine long years of protests, politics and amazing support from the community, the landfill proposal from Walker Environmental Group could be defeated next week.

After nine long years, the battle against a proposed landfill in Zorra Township could be over next week.

Zorra Township passed a motion from Mayor Marcus Ryan, essentially stating they are not a willing host for the Walker Environmental Group landfill. A similar motion will go before Ingersoll Town Council on Monday and then South-West Oxford council on Tuesday. If passed, the motion will be presented to Oxford County council on Wednesday. If it gets approval at all levels, it will signify that Oxford County is not a willing host and the proposed landfill will not go through.

Zorra Township Mayor Marcus Ryan explains the motion he prepared for Zorra Township council.

"I prepared a similar motion for Oxford County council next week and it states that Zorra and next week Oxford, would not provide a resolution of support for that landfill. It essentially means that unless a landfill proponent can change those councils minds, they cannot then submit their environmental assessment to the Ministry for a landfill. It is possible they could submit again in the future, but right now it would mean they cannot proceed."

The motion passed with a vote of 4-1 at Zorra Township council. Councillor Mitchell was the only dissenting vote. Mayor Ryan says it was a good debate around the table.

"Some of the concerns expressed, were ones that I think were very real concerns, in that we were supposed to get a peer review team report of Walker's Environmental Assessment and hopefully we were going to use that as part of our understanding of the issues."

Ryan says he put forward the motion to take advantage of the legislation changes that happened, thanks in part to the pressure on the Ontario Government from Ingersoll Mayor Ted Comiskey. Comiskey has long been a huge opponent of the proposed landfill. Bill 124, which passed last year, allows municipalities a say on where landfills should be located within a 3.5 km radius. The proposed Walker site is in Zorra Township, but within 3.5 km of both Ingersoll and SWOX.

Local residents have been fighting this landfill for 9 years. This includes the OPAL alliance who have held numerous protests and waving signs every Friday for the past several years.

OPAL President Bryan Smith says he is all smiles today.

"This is excellent news. OPAL invites all its members in Zorra and elsewhere to thank Zorra Council for the vote to say "NO". As previous emails have indicated, Ingersoll, South-West Oxford and the County Council vote next week. Those votes in solidarity are important too. OPAL urges you again to contact your local councillor and/ or mayor to be sure that at all municipalities go on record against the dump."