Mayors in Lambton County are voicing concerns about a possible increase in truck traffic as it relates to the proposed York 1 project in Dresden.
A traffic impact study by UrbanTrans Engineering Solutions Inc. outlines proposed routes through southwestern Ontario to get to the transfer and recycling centre.
One of the proposed routes from Sarnia to Dresden travels along Highway 402 to Reece's Corners, and down County Road 21.
Plympton-Wyoming Mayor Gary Atkinson said he was concerned to learn details of the proposed route through local media.
"It kind of bothers me that nobody has had the opportunity to communicate with us," Atkinson said during Thursday's county council meeting. "We have a lot going on, for example, through Plympton-Wyoming, its going through the core of our business section and I'm concerned about the traffic."
Lambton County General Manager Jason Cole agreed with Atkinson, it is concerning the county hasn't heard directly from York1.
"We were involved in previous communications regarding that landfill project. We have received a traffic and routing study the Municipality of Chatham-Kent had provided to us in advance of their presentation to the community [in June]," Cole said.
Cole also said further discussions regarding the proposed routing will be held in the future with the Municipality of Chatham-Kent.
Dawn-Euphemia Mayor Alan Broad said he attended the public meeting in Dresden and questioned the amount of truck traffic anticipated.
"When it got to the traffic study, it's showing that approximately 10 per cent will be coming from the north," Broad said. "To me the big question is, on York1's information, they showed 200 trucks a day. Well 10 per cent of 200 trucks a day is a lot different than 10 per cent of the 700 trucks a day that they were asking for previously."
Broad also criticized the lack of communication coming from York 1.
"If you want any information, you [have to] track it down yourself because York 1 isn't doing a very good job with information," Broad said. "To be quite honest, you can blame a lot of that on the Province of Ontario because they did not want the Environmental Assessment done and this is what happens. Now you get little bits and pieces of information."
York 1 has defended it's proposed project, explaining most of the materials will be recycled materials, not household garbage.
The Toronto-based company and the Municipality of Chatham-Kent have been at odds over whether or not the company needs land-use planning approvals. A court hearing is scheduled to take place in Chatham on September 21.
