Canada's greenest communities

Communities of Greater Napanee, Tyendinaga Township and Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, Ont.: Greener together

At a glance
Major green efforts
• Went to court to stop the expansion of Richmond landfill site.
• Helped protect groundwater in the Bay of Quinte area.
Future goals/plans
• Convince the Ministry of the Environment to close the dump once and for all.
• Increase recycling efforts in their communities.
• Greater Napanee Waste Committee scheduled to present recommendations on a long-term waste management plan in October 2008.
• Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte hope to get much-needed water and sewage treatment plants as soon as possible.

Ten years ago, residents in farming communities in the County of Lennox and Addington in eastern Ontario were concerned. Their communities – Greater Napanee, Tyendinaga Township and the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte – were sitting near the Richmond landfill, which had been accumulating waste for more than 50 years. They were worried about its effect on the local environment.

A citizens' committee was formed, which included Margaret Walsh, reeve of Tyendinaga, Chief R. Donald Maracle of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, and many other concerned community members. In 1999, the predecessor of Waste Management of Canada Corporation (WMCC), the current owner of the landfill, applied to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment for permission to undertake a 25-year, 18-million-tonne expansion of the site. There was "a solid foundation of people saying, 'We want this place closed!'" says resident Steve Geneja.

Although the landfill did not drain toward his farm, Steve felt a responsibility to the others in his community, as well as to Earth itself, and joined the committee in its infancy. His "I am my brother's keeper" attitude saw him step into the role of chairman. Soon afterward, the group found a lawyer from the Canadian Environmental Law Association. Community members held public meetings and demonstrations. They signed petitions and wrote letters of opposition – more than 8,000 of them between 2005 and 2006. "Our own communities had to raise the money to fight this. That was a big obstacle," adds Steve.

Winning the fight
A long-awaited victory for the three communities came in November 2006. The Ontario government rejected WMCC's environmental assessment and its application for the expansion. After many years, community members had won their fight. They celebrated with a gathering at the Mohawk Community Centre that included speeches, hugs and a potluck supper.

Alone, members of the three small communities might have felt somewhat overwhelmed, pitted against one of the country's largest landfill corporation. United together, and emboldened by their concern for the land and what might be at stake, they leaped into action to thwart the expansion.     

The corporation will continue to dispose waste at the landfill site until the approved capacity has been reached, which could be several years from now. "We feel it should be closed now...closed properly," says Margaret. She is optimistic that this will happen soon. Why? "We have our communities working on it," she says, confidently.

The town of Greater Napanee and Tyendinaga Township are increasingly committed to environmental stewardship – and dealing with waste remains a major focus. Raymond Callery, Greater Napanee's chief administrative officer, explains one of the most recent commitments to going green: "Council has created a waste committee [with] citizens and councillors working together to develop a long-term waste management plan. As part of this process, the committee will oversee the third waste audit completed over the past five to six years."

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