New Liskeard Landfill Expansion Project

Background Information

The City of Temiskaming Shores has two existing landfill sites, the New Liskeard and the Haileybury Landfill Sites. The New Liskeard Site began operation in 1916 but reached its Ministry of Environment (MOE) approved capacity so that the City suspended its operation in June 2009. The Haileybury Landfill Site, which began operation in 1975, is currently the City's only operational landfill and is expected to reach approved capacity in 2016.

In 2008 and in response to the limited future waste disposal capacity, the City generated a Draft Solid Waste Management Master Plan (WMMP) which provided a comprehensive review of the City's waste management practices, approaches and needs for the future. In its conclusions, the Plan places emphasis on intensifying the City's waste reduction and recycling efforts but also identified the immediate need for providing additional landfill capacity to facilitate the City's long-term waste disposal.

The City retained AMEC Earth & Environmental (AMEC) to undertake a Landfill Feasibility Study which was conducted under the guidance of the City's Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).  The Study evaluated the feasibility of either expanding the City's existing landfill sites (New Liskeard Landfill and Haileybury Landfill) and options for developing a new site ("greenfield sites") within the municipal boundaries. The results were published in two reports (Existing Sites Report, March 2010; and New Sites Report, March 2010).  The final report (Landfill Feasibility Study December 14, 2010) was approved by City Council on December 14, 2010. 

The Feasibility Study examined numerous landfill alternatives on the basis of a comprehensive set of criteria related to natural environment, public health, socio-economic/cultural factors, technical issues, and cost. The Study concluded that the overall preferred option for providing new landfill capacity is the expansion of the existing New Liskeard Landfill Site.

To gain approval for the expansion of the New Liskaerd Landfill from the MOE, the City has initiated an Environmental Assessment (EA) under the Environmental Assessment Act to examine the environmental effects of the expansion of the New Liskeard Landfill. The EA process involves two steps, the preparation of Terms of Reference and the Environmental Assessment.

Terms of Reference

The Terms of Reference (TOR) provides the structure and requirements for preparation of the EA.  The TOR will be submitted to the MOE for review and a decision regarding approval.  The TOR addresses such things as the Study Area, the approach to the evaluation of alternatives, criteria for the assessment of potential impact, and the proposed Consultation Program. If approved by the Minister, the TOR will provide the framework and requirements for preparation of the EA.

At this point in the study process, the City has prepared a draft TOR. The document has been prepared in accordance with the MOE's Code of Practice: Preparing and Reviewing Terms of Reference for Environmental Assessments in Ontario (MOE 2007b) and Section 6 (2)(a) of the Act. The public, stakeholder organizations and Aboriginal groups are encouraged to review and provide input on the draft TOR.  

Public feedback received on the draft TOR will be used to finalize and formally submit the proposed TOR for approval to the MOE. At that point, another opportunity for public review and comment will be provided. 

In the draft TOR, the Preliminary Regional and Local Study Areas have been defined as outlined in the images below (click on the image to view a full size PDF). It is anticipated that the Study Area will be refined as the process evolves.  The final Study Area boundaries and the reasons for its delineation will be provided in the final EA document.