Ingersoll residents have been protesting for two years straight and show no signs of backing down.
More than 250 concerned residents packed the Ingersoll Memorial Arena on Saturday to rally against the development of a 200 acre landfill site on the edge of town.
“The majority of people in this community don’t want it,” said resident Steve McSwiggan. McSwiggan is a member of OPAL – Oxford People Against the Landfill.
The group’s main concern is that waste from the landfill site could eventually seep into the area’s drinking water. Several others are also concerned about how it will affect their property values.
Janet Hevenor is Co-chair of Oxford Coalition of Social Justice and runs a bed and breakfast in the area. “I don’t want to have to put on my advertising ‘Please come to Ingersoll and enjoy our dump,” she said.
The group is also worried that plopping the landfill near the town’s old lime quarry will destroy their rural surroundings.
“The dust, the smell, the increased traffic, the noise pollution, the vermin…will all make it very difficult to be here,” said OPAL member Karen Paton-Evans.
OPAL has collected more than 13 thousand letters and sent them to the Ministry of Environment. They say they will continue to do so until more research is done.
Walker Industries is the group proposing the landfill site. They told CTV News in the past that there is a substantial need for a new landfill site in Ontario. The province ships out three-million tons of waste each year.
The project is still in early stages and it could take five to seven years before any final decisions are made.
The group is determined to make their voices heard before it’s too late.
