Notice of approval

Proponent: Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority (The Corporation of the County of Essex and The Corporation of the City of Windsor)
Environmental assessment (EA) file number: MU-0178-02T

Take notice that the period for requiring a hearing, provided for in the Notice of Completion of the Review for the above noted undertaking, expired on September 18, 1998. I did not receive any submissions requesting a hearing by the Environmental Assessment Board. I received one submission before the expiration of the date of the Notice, and as well comments were submitted by two local citizens groups prior to the Notice.

I do not consider it advisable or necessary to hold a hearing or to refer the matters of the submissions for mediation. Having considered the purpose of the Act, the Terms of Reference, the Environmental Assessment, the Review and the submissions received, I hereby give approval to proceed with the undertaking, subject to conditions set out in "Attachment A".

Reasons

My reasons for giving approval are:

  1. The Review concluded that the Environmental Assessment submitted by the Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority was prepared in accordance with the approved Terms of Reference.
  2. A local municipality which was not the host municipality and two local citizens groups objected to the receipt of waste from an expanded service area, however I have accepted the proponent’s position that the service area should be expanded to ensure that sufficient revenues are received to pay for the costs of the proponent’s waste management programs and reduce the burden on the local taxpayers.
  3. The Review concluded that a potential concern raised by the Ministry of Transportation can be addressed through a condition of approval. No other technical concerns were identified by either government agencies or the public.
  4. The proponent has asserted that the expansion of the site’s service area will not result in any negative environmental effects that have not already been considered in the granting of the 1995 Environmental Assessment Act (EAA) approval, except that the haul route approved in 1995 will be amended to include a connection from Highway 401. The type of waste being accepted (solid non-hazardous waste), the annual and daily amount of waste received, the site design and operation, the amount of leachate generated for treatment and the number of vehicles originally approved to use the site will not change.
  5. On the basis of the proponent’s Environmental Assessment, the Review and the Conditions of Approval, the operation of the undertaking will be consistent with the purpose of the Act (section 2).

Dated the 5th day of November, 1998 at Toronto.

Original signed by
Minister of the Environment
135 St. Clair Avenue West, 15th floor
Toronto, Ontario
M4V 1P5