By Abdul Matin Sarfraz / Canada’s National Observer / Local Journalism Initiative The federal government has rejected an impact assessment for Ford’s first Bill 5 project — a controversial “town killer” landfill proposal in the small southwestern Ontario community of Dresden. The project is one of the first three high-profile developments exempted from Ontario’s provincial environmental assessment under Premier Doug Ford’s Bill 5. For months, Dresden’s council, residents and advocacy groups have been fighting the proposed project, warning it could threaten water sources, farmland, air quality, public health and endangered species. When the Ford government removed the provincial review, residents turned to Ottawa to step in and assess the project under the Impact Assessment Act. Despite acknowledging the project “may cause adverse effects” to areas under federal responsibility such as…

 
						








