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NEWS: Council of Canadians opposes landfill in Oxford County

Oxford County. Photo by David Kravetz.

Oxford County. Photo by David Kravetz.

The Globe and Mail reported this past weekend, “The Liberal leadership race kicks into gear this weekend with the first debate between the seven men and women running to become the next premier of Ontario. The candidates will square off in Ingersoll in southwestern Ontario Saturday afternoon in the first of five scheduled debates before the leadership convention at Maple Leaf Gardens on Jan. 25-26. …The candidates are expected to be greeted in Ingersoll by protesters opposed to a landfill in the area. ‘We welcome the opportunity to inform the Liberal party and the people who hope to lead it that our community is dealing with a grave, life-changing concern that is already adversely impacting us: Walker Industries’ mega landfill proposal,’ said Steve McSwiggan, Ingersoll resident and chair of Oxford People Against the Landfill.”

An Oxford People Against the Landfill media release highlights, “‘A mega landfill in the heart of Oxford County would be disastrous.’ Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians, says, ‘Across Ontario, people are standing up to protect their communities from unwanted industrial megaprojects like the Walker dump. We helped stop Dumpsite 41, we helped stop the Megaquarry and we will help stop this ridiculous proposal to put a dump in a quarry. The next Premier of Ontario must give communities the legal right to refuse unwanted megaprojects. That will protect what we have for future generations and prevent these battles from starting in the first place as industry will seek out willing communities before they enter the approvals process.'”

That media release also notes, “OPAL is allied with the Council of Canadians, the CAW, Gravel Watch Ontario, the Green Earth Campaign, Oxford Coalition for Social Justice, Oxford Green Watch and other like-minded partners.”

Ingersoll resident Steve Caskey noted in a letter to the editor this past June in the London Free Press, “OPAL (Oxford People Against Landfill) is fighting to stop this mega-dump just metres from the Thames River and two vital communities.”

For more on this, please go to http://www.opalalliance.ca/.