County lambasted for past record and present direction on waste

Stantec officials developing waste strategy worked for Genivar
By Kate Harries WaterWatch
ALLISTON — The meeting never got rowdy, but the anger and frustration were palpable as residents turned out to the first waste strategy consultation session to tell Simcoe County what they think of its record and present direction on waste issues.
Turnout was respectable – about 70 people at the public meeting portion of the evening, with a smaller number going through the open house.  It appears that the county’s short notice to the public (less than a week) was countered by the efforts of the Site 41 group and South Simcoe Environment Watch to get people out.
At the meeting, speakers objected to the fast-tracking of the strategy, the consultant-driven nature of the process and the sidelining of knowledgeable and involved members of the public.
Sharon Yovanoff echoed several who expressed concern that County Council wants the waste strategy finalized by June (so it is out of the way before the October municipal election).
“If it takes a year and a half, take a year and a half,” she told the panel – even if there is an election in the offing. The waste strategy is to provide direction for the next 20 years. “If you can’t do it properly don’t do it at all.”
The fast-tracking has resulted in unrealistic deadlines – for instance, the public is asked to complete a questionnaire by Friday of this week – and insufficient consultation meetings.
Meetings should be held in every one of Simcoe County’s 16 municipalities, speakers said, not just in six (three this week in New Tecumseth, Wasaga Beach and Midland, and three in May).
The short timeline has also led to a narrowing of the scope of the process, Anne Ritchie-Nahuis said, pointing out that the strategy is not intended to identify specific processing or disposal technologies.
“We want specifics,” Ritchie-Nahuis said. Besides outlining what kind of technological options are available, she said it’s also important to know what the situation is regarding the existing landfill sites, closed and operational, and their impact on water.
Ritchie-Nahuis said she was concerned about a possible conflict of interest for the Stantec representatives and Genivar – the multi-national corporation that handles much of the County’s waste-related contracts.
Stantec’s David Payne and Janine Ralph replied that they had both worked for Genivar, over two years ago, but there is no present relationship, and no relationship between the two companies.
Genivar is the firm that refused to release a calibrated computer model (modflow) of the hydrogeology at Site 41 to Simcoe County, claiming that it is proprietary. As a result, the county is siding with Genivar to challenge an Information and Privacy Commissioner order through a judicial review.
The composition of the panel (Payne, Ralph and the County’s Rob McCullough) drew fire from several people who said they wanted to see their own representatives – the members of Simcoe County’s waste strategy steering committee – taking the questions and hearing the feedback.
The meeting was told that Zero Waste Simcoe had asked to have a table at the consultation sessions but was turned down by the County. “I’d like to hear some of those very interesting ideas they have,” said one speaker – but the County prefers to hire consultants rather than draw on the knowledge and creativity of its residents. “They don’t want to get rid of garbage,” she said. “Garbage is money.”
Others talked about how, over the years, citizens’ groups have come forward with plans to deal with the garbage crisis. The Why Wye group, that fought Site 41, had such a plan 20 years ago and even obtained provincial funding for a community demonstration project. But the County wasn’t interested, Ritchie-Nahuis said. “They were ignored” so the project died.
Bill French criticized the County for an outdated mindset. “Where is the emphasis on elimination?” he asked, expressing dismay that the strategy questionnaire asks whether the County should have a green procurement policy. It should have had one years ago, he said.
Hans Bruhn summed it up. “The big elephant in the room is Site 41,” he said, urging electors across the county to check the voting record of their councillors before deciding whom to support in October. “Make sure you find out if they voted for Site 41,” he said as a sprinkling of politicians in the room listened – among them Warden Cal Patterson, Bradford West Gwillimbury Mayor Doug White, Innisfil Deputy Mayor Gord Wauchope (chair of the steering committee) and Adjala-Tosorontio Deputy Mayor Doug Little.
Members of the New Tecumseth council could not attend as the consultation meeting was at the same time as their council meeting. The same applies today to Wasaga Beach, whose council meets at the same time as the consultation session there.
A speaker pointed out it would have been an easy matter to switch the sessions, so that the local councillors could have attended.