Communities
Support Southwestern Ontario communities as they come under attack through Bill 5.
Sebringville
Dresden
Walpole Island First Nation
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SEBRINGVILLE:
Ignoring the Official Plan
LOCAL ACTIVIST GROUP:
Get Concerned Perth County
News: Sebringville residents push second petition to deter large subdivision CTV news, November 7, 2025
This Is What Bill 5 Looks Like
If you want to understand what Bill 5 means on the ground, look at Sebringville.
Perth South, population less than 4,000, is moving ahead with a $2.1 million reconstruction of less than 700 metres of Station Road. Close to $1 million of that will come from local taxpayers.
The development it is supposed to support is not approved and does not conform with the Official Plan, and would double the population. The Environmental Assessment is not complete. It has focused on servicing the proposed development with communal water and wastewater systems, excluding the broader community. This approach did not advance in 2012 but appears to be now.
And there is no clear justification communicated for this level of work. People assume there are checks in place. That need is established, impacts are understood, and policies are followed before money is spent.
That is not what is happening here.
Because the province has shifted oversight away from independent review and onto municipalities- whether they have the capacity or not- decisions are being made without that layer of scrutiny. At the same time, municipalities are relying on information provided by the proponent. If this goes ahead, taxpayers fund infrastructure that may not be needed, tied to a project that does not meet planning policy.
DRESDEN: The York1 dump
LOCAL ACTIVIST GROUP: Dresden C.A.R.E.D.
The passage of Bill 5 specifically removed environmental assessment requirements for a dormant landfill near Dresden, allowing the reopening and expansion of the site for waste processing without the usual review. This has sparked significant local opposition from residents, the municipal government of Chatham-Kent, Indigenous groups, and environmental activists who fear negative impacts on water, farmland, air quality, public health, and endangered species. Despite community protests and legal challenges, the provincial government has pushed forward, and federal attempts to intervene have been limited, leaving Dresden fighting the project primarily through local activism and court actions. The dispute highlights broader concerns about the bill’s power to bypass local governance and environmental protections across Ontario.
Walpole Island First Nation opposes the York1 landfill in nearby Dresden
LOCAL GROUP: Walpole Island First Nation
Walpole Island First Nation have protested the government’s action in Dresden.
WIFN and allied First Nations state that Bill 5 undermines Section 35 of the Canadian Constitution and obligations under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), both of which require governments to obtain free, prior, and informed consent before developments affecting Indigenous lands. They see the bill as enabling the province to unilaterally “ram through” projects without meaningful engagement or consultation with First Nations, violating the Crown’s constitutional obligation to advance reconciliation. WIFN has joined injunctions with other First Nations to challenge Bill 5 and federal Bill C-5 in court
Bill 5 also removes requirements for archaeological assessments, risking destruction or loss of First Nation burial sites, artifacts, and other culturally significant locations. With projects bypassing these assessments, sites of historical and spiritual importance to WIFN may be damaged irreparably.