Midland council slams county waste bylaw

By Travis Mealing Midland Mirror Sept. 30, 2009
A list of violations and fines under the County of Simcoe’s proposed waste-management bylaw is an “Orwellian” piece of nonsense, says a Midland councillor.
“The $250,000 they’re spending on improving their image won’t be enough when people get a load of this,” Coun. Stephan Kramp said at Monday’s meeting of Midland council, referring to the county’s hiring of a public-relations firm to bolster its reputation in the wake of the Site 41 fiasco.
What had Kramp steamed were some of the offences listed in the proposed bylaw, which was forwarded to Midland council for further consideration.
Permitting an animal to pick over waste, for example, would earn a person a $150 fine.
“Has anyone in the town of Midland been able to outsmart a raccoon or a seagull that wants to get into your garbage?” asked an incredulous Kramp.
Objections were also raised regarding the proposed violation of scavenging any recyclable materials or metal items ($200).
“We need to do everything we can to encourage people to reuse,” said Counillor Patricia File. “If they see something they like in someone’s garbage, we should allow them to scavenge it.”
Deputy Mayor Ruth Hackney said Midland’s response to the proposed bylaw will take Monday’s discussion into account.
“We’re going to have to send a letter saying we wholeheartedly disagree,” she said. “They need to give us something more realistic.”