The Township Council was pleased to learn of the proposed amendments to the Environmental Assessment Act announced today included in Bill 197, COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act, 2020. The proposed amendment requires a proponent to obtain municipal support from the host municipality and other municipalities located within 3.5 km of the proposed landfill. These changes will impact the Walker Environmental Group’s Southwestern Landfill which proposes to build and operate a 17 million tonne waste disposal site in Zorra Township.

Bill 197 which received first reading by the Ontario Legislature will now undergo a public consultation process throughout the remainder of the summer.  In order to properly assess the impacts of Bill 197, the Township will be seeking a legal opinion and clarification from the Ministry of Environment, Parks and Conservation whether the Minister can still approve an Environmental Assessment if a host municipality or adjacent municipality does not pass a resolution of support.

Mayor Marcus Ryan remarked “Minister Yurek has listened to our concerns and MPP Ernie Hardeman has also been instrumental in pushing this matter to the forefront. In the meantime, Zorra will continue in its review process of the draft Environmental Assessment with the Joint Municipal Coordinating Committee and the Peer Review Team.”