The Environmental Assessment (EA) is proposed to be undertaken to address the Town’s future residual waste management needs for a 40-year planning period. The Town will generate an estimated 330,000 tonnes of residual waste requiring disposal during this period.

The EA process is designed to examine potential alternatives to take care of this future demand. In other words, the planning process is designed to examine all alternatives that have the potential to satisfy the purpose of the project. Within the Terms of Reference (ToR), the Town identified potential options for the future management of the Town’s residual waste and then undertook a review and assessment (i.e., screening) of the alternatives.

This included detailed reviews of the ‘New Landfill Site’ alternative and ‘Alternative Technologies’ (i.e., incineration), presented in two supporting documents, which recommended that these alternatives be eliminated and not advanced into the EA for further study. The ToR reviewed and also proposed the elimination of the ‘Export of Waste’ alternative. The ToR provided sufficient justification for the selection of ‘Landfill Optimization’ as the preferred alternative for the long-term management of the Town’s residual waste. The ‘Do-Nothing’ alternative will also be carried forward into the EA to continue to serve as a baseline against which other alternatives can be compared.

The EA will document the systematic evaluation and assessment of ‘Alternative Methods’ of implementing the proposed landfill expansion by considering various site development options for the physical expansion of the landfill within the 26.3-hectare optimization area. At a conceptual level, alternative development methods will include (i) horizontal expansion; (ii) combined horizontal and vertical expansion; and (iii) construction of a separate landfill cell within the optimization area.

Preparation and Development of the Terms of Reference

The Environmental Assessment Act (EA Act) defines the process necessary to secure additional landfill capacity at the Town’s existing Southampton Landfill Site. Under the EA Act, in order to move the landfill optimization project forward, the project requires the completion of a Comprehensive Environmental Assessment. This two-step planning process ensures the project scope and goals are clearly identified, and alternative options of addressing the problem and/or opportunity are considered.

The first step in the Environmental Assessment process is the preparation of a Terms of Reference (ToR). The ToR outlines the project scope, including how the Environmental Assessment (EA) will be prepared, the range of alternatives to be considered, and what will be studied. Once the ToR is approved by the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), the Town can proceed to the second step of the process and carry out the Environmental Assessment.

Saugeen Shores’ Waste Management project, the development of the Terms of Reference, was initiated in April 2024. The ToR was developed with extensive community engagement and consultation with the Government Review Team and Indigenous communities. In the Spring of 2025, the Town submitted a Proposed Terms of Reference (ToR) to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks for a decision. The Town completed a ToR that provides sufficient justification for the selection of the 'Alternative To'. The Terms of Reference (Amended) and associated supporting documentation are available on the project website.

Ministry Decision

The ToR (Amended) was approved by the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks on February 25, 2026. The Town is now proceeding to the second step of the process and is carrying out the Environmental Assessment.

Environmental Assessment

The second step in the process is to develop an Environmental Assessment Study which should be carried out in accordance with the Approved Terms of Reference and the requirements of the EA Act. The EA Study will be developed with extensive community engagement and consultation with the Government Review Team and Indigenous communities. Community engagement will include an open house, a public meeting, newspaper and social media postings, and project updates that will be provided on the project webpage.

March 2026: Notice of Commencement of Environmental Assessment

The Environmental Assessment was initiated on March 10, 2026. Background reports completed to support the feasibility assessment for the expansion of the Southampton Landfill Site and detailed work plans have been made available on the project website for review by the public, the Government Review Team (i.e., agencies, ministries, and local municipalities), and Indigenous communities.

Comment Period: We ask that comments be provided by April 10, 2026. Following the review period, the reports and work plans will be updated to address comments received and the Environmental Assessment Study will be advanced.