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1l--Tha, <"anaii2n flhnmnrn Çriri:, Anr'd 1R A'flfl ~Savo1ine looking to protect Iandfhl sit fre" T 0* tr'whc1 DmoRI VItB RANGE & PRACTICE FACILITY 5 mu.t R.u<, Mf JlIst Wt of t4wy 25, 2 ligts Nthtl of Hl" 401 BO.ff7832SOU wwwihga.s By JASON MISNER The Champion Halton Chair Joyce Savoline is scheduled to have a face-to-face meeting with Ontario's environ- ment minister on Thursday 10 con- vince the Liberal govemment that Halton shouldn't become a dump- ing ground for Toronto's currently exported garbage. Ms Savolmne told The Champion Wednesday aflemoon that she and Oakville Liberal MPP Kevin Flynn will meet with Minister Leona Dombrowsky for ahout an hour. The private meeting is expected to take place at Ms Dombrowsky's Toronto office. Ms Savoline wouldn't divulge what specifically she will say to the minister, but will attempt 10 convey the message that Halton is doing ail the right things te, protect and extended ils sole landfiîl site on Regional Road 25 in Milton. Accepting Toronto's garhage will jeopardize that, she said, and short- en the landfill's life expectancy 10 just two years. "We have to work faster and harder with hier ministry staff to work on options te, helpi Toronto and other municipalities find their Plan B," she said, noting other souîhwestem Ontario municipali- tics are equally concemred. "Whatever comes out of the meet- ing l'Il make public." 'he process te, choose a location for HalIon's current landfill site was very contentious and divisive in the 1980s when Burlington'*s landfill on North Service Road was tapped. Originally expected te, last 20 years, the Milton landfitl's life expectancy has heen extended 10 40 years with room for about three million tonnes of garbage. Toronto has been trucking more than one million tonnes of waste per year 10, a landfill in Michigan. As a result, there's been much trep- idation among regional politicians that Halton may be tagged as a site -short- or long-termn for Toronto's waste because of ils size and close proximity. Toronto can store trash aI ils seven transfer stations but that would last only a day or a day-and- a-half. Politicians got particularly worried when the U.S. border closed for 19 hours one day lasI May because of the mad cow cri- sis, stranding trucks. The minister's meeting was sparked by a March 24 letter she sent bo Ms Savoline clearly stating hier govemment can't promise 10 exclude Halton from being a possi- ble landfill site 10 accept Toronto's garbage. The Minister of the Environment bas legislative emergency powers 10 force a landfill site 10 accept another municipality's waste. "This power can only be exer- cised when il is necessary in the public interest and t cao assure you that such power will not be taken lightly," Ms Dombrowksy wrote. "1 hope Ballon council will recog- nize that since the Ontario legisia- turc has conferred Ibis discretion on the Minister of the Environment, il would be improper of me, as the current ininister, to make any commitment that would fetter the exercise of that discre- tion." Ms Savoline, who released the documentation publicly to fellow politicians and the media earlier this week, first sent a letter on January 21 to "request a letter of support" to ensure Halton won't be forced to accept garbage from GTA municipalities. In that six-paragraph letter shte pointed out that it cost the Region more than $100 million to build the Regional Road 25 landfill site. That included the $52 million to construct the site, the $60.6 million to, export waste to Niagara Falls, New York and St. Catharines for seven years and millions of dollars for environmental assessment hearings. Ms Savoline responded to Ms Dombrowksy in a April 8 letter vaunting Halton's 40.9 per cent 2003 diversion rate, and conveying that authorizing Toronto's garbage to infitrate HalIon's landfill would be "'disheartening". She added she always writes te, the new Environment Minister requesting Halton nos be used a potential site for Toronto's garbage. Mr. Flynn said hie understands Toronto is able te, meet the new laws. Jfason Misner <an rie reached o, jntisner@Cýnziltoncýanadiancltampi- Sheridan Start the week of April 26 Choose from 800 dynamic part-time courses/workshops: Business, Finance & Administration Marketing & Sales Management Computer Science Applied Science & Technology Arts & Culture Trades & Technical Specialities Education & Community Services Allied Health Tools for Career Success Leisure and Lifestyle Connect with an outstanding learning experience! 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