The Kingston Whig-Standard

Saturday, November 04, 2006

NAPANEE - After nearly a decade of fighting, the Ontario government has agreed with the people of Napanee that a proposed mega-dump would put human health and the environment at risk.

In a surprise announcement yesterday, Environment Minister Laurel Broten said she rejected Waste Management of Canada's plan because "it had a high potential to contaminate the local drinking water."

She says the company's environmental assessment failed to demonstrate that it would be able to meet Ontario's standards to protect the environment.

Waste Management had proposed to expand its existing landfill site sixfold to 750,000 tonnes per year.

Without government approval to expand the site, the 50-year-old dump was scheduled to close when it reached capacity, expected in a matter of months. Waste Management had spent $7 million over the past decade on studies designed to help win expansion approval.

© The Ottawa Citizen 2006