Province introduces Adams Mine legislation

The province has introduced a bill which would prohibit the use of the Adams Mine as a landfill.

As well the bill would bring in waste diversion initiatives to protect the environment and communities.

Further information is included in the following news release issued by the province at 9:35 this morning:
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TORONTO
As part of its plan to create clean, liveable communities, the McGuinty government today announced a waste diversion strategy that includes the introduction of legislation that would, if passed, ensure that Adams Mine would never be used as a landfill.

Environment Minister Leona Dombrowsky and David Ramsay, Minister of Natural Resources and MPP for Timiskaming-Cochrane made the announcement today in Toronto and New Liskeard.

“The Adams Mine landfill proposal has for too long drained the energy and resources of local communities,” said Ramsay. “Literally thousands of people have expressed these same concerns. This is good news for the people of Timiskaming.”

The legislation would also prevent the use of lakes larger than one hectare as landfill sites.

“The McGuinty government is further working to create clean, liveable communities by announcing a waste diversion strategy that aims to divert 60 per cent of Ontario’s waste from disposal by 2008,” Dombrowsky said.

“Ontarians know clean communities mean a better quality of life. To deliver the results they want, we must take action,” Dombrowsky said. “As our population grows, so does the challenge of dealing with our waste.”

The government’s strategy includes:

• A commitment to release a discussion paper this spring to consult on options for achieving the 60 per cent waste diversion target, including greater recycling in the private sector, developing new markets for recycled materials, increasing organic diversion, and examining the expansion of central composting facilities and the role of new technologies to support waste diversion;

• An expert panel to produce recommendations on improvements to the environmental assessment process; and

• A draft framework agreement between Ontario and the federal government that would address duplication and overlap in the environmental assessment process.

“Our plan is about protecting our environment and respecting our communities,” Dombrowsky said. “These initiatives will deliver real, positive change to protect and maintain clean, liveable communities.”