Ontario charges Stoney Creek landfill operator over odours

The Ontario government has charged and fined the operator of a landfill that has plagued an area of Stoney Creek with a relentless odour for almost two years.

GFL Environmental Inc. is facing 10 charges under the Environmental Protection Act related to its alleged discharge of air contaminants called total reduced sulphur compounds — which nearby residents have called a “rotten egg-like smell” — between August 2021 and November 2023.

The company was also charged with not complying with a ministry approval by failing to operate a waste management site as required.

On top of the offences, the landfill must pay $15,000 worth of fines for three incidents in August and September 2024 that the province confirms were “the source of odour impacts in the surrounding community.”

WATCH MORE: Concerns rise over unrelenting odour from a Stoney Creek landfill

“The ministry continues to engage with GFL to ensure that they are taking all possible steps to minimize odour impacts,” Gary Wheeler, spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, wrote in a statement to CHCH News.

Wheeler also confirmed GFL Environmental Inc. is still subject to two provincial orders — one for air quality monitoring and the other regarding waste piles that are currently above the maximum permitted height.

Nearby residents gathered several times during the summer of 2023 to protest the unbearable odour. They said the smell dominated the area that year, making spending time outside almost intolerable and forcing them to keep their windows closed.

WATCH MORE: Protestors call for action in relentless odour from Stoney Creek landfill

Ward 9 Coun. Brad Clark issued two motions in late February, asking council for a potential tax break for constituents and for the city to temporarily shut down the landfill. Councillors voted in favour of both motions.

Following the latest news of the fines against the landfill, Clark expressed his frustrations with the province’s decision.

“Wow, the all powerful and mighty province of Ontario issued ONLY 3 administrative penalties totaling $15,000 for a year’s worth of odours during the lost summer 2023. What about the lost summer of 2024?” he wrote in a statement to CHCH News.

“If the judge follows this framework then GFL, one of the largest environmental companies in Ontario, can afford to write off these fines as a cost of doing business. This is not justice!”

WATCH MORE: Stoney Creek residents rejoicing after landfill motions passed in their favour