OttawaThe city councillor for Orleans says she is surprised by a proposal to expand the Navan landfill, saying that residents were promised years ago that the site would eventually be decommissioned.Waste Connections Canada says it wants to add 3 to 4 million cubic metres of capacity to siteCBC News · Posted: Nov 29, 2025 9:10 AM EST | Last Updated: 19 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.An arial view of the Navan landfill from Google Maps. Waste Connections Canada, which operates the site, says it is looking to expand the dump. (Google Maps)A proposal to expand the Navan landfill has come as a surprise to an east end city councillor, who says residents were promised years ago the site would eventually be decommissioned. A notice from Waste Connections of Canada said it is beginning an environmental assessment for expanding the dump. The site, which has a capacity of 7.6 million cubic metres, is expected to be full by 2027. The proposed expansion would add three to four million cubic metres of extra landfill airspace.The landfill was originally built in 1960 and is located next to the Mer Bleue Bog in the city’s east end.Orléans South-Navan Coun. Catherine Kitts said the landfill was supposed to shut down, per an agreement between community group Friends of the Mer Bleue and the operator in 2007, when the dump was last expanded.”There was an understanding in the community that we weren’t going to see another expansion,” Kitts told CBC. Kitts said anyone who bought a home in the area would have been told about the landfill’s operations winding down. Now she’s worried about the impact of truck traffic and odour could have on nearby homes.”I think people in the community feel misled and there’s real concern about this proposal,” she said.Orléans South-Navan Coun. Catherine Kitts says she first heard about a possible expansion of the Navan landfill in early November. (Jean Delisle/CBC)Chris Visser, the Waste Connections Canada manager responsible for the project, declined an interview request but encouraged residents to attend an open house on the project. That’s expected to happen sometime in the next few months.Waste Connections Canada’s website adds there will be two open houses where stakeholders can participate.Kitts said the new project is provincially-led, and the city does not have formal role in reviewing the application. She said the notice only represents the first step in a multi-year process.One person in the area said told CBC they were concerned how the project could impact nearby businesses.”I know that businesses are growing more around here too. I think they’re planning on building more around… Navan. And with the smell in the summer, I don’t think that’s that great,” said Shawna Alary.Kitts said she plans to explore legal options to stop the site from expanding.”My focus right now has been on that [2007] agreement and finding out whether it has legal standing,” she said.With files from Nathan Fung, Cameron Mahler, and Arthur White-Crummey
Possible expansion of east-end landfill rankles councillor and residents
