Corporate services committee split on bulky collections

By Kate Harries AWARE Simcoe March 10 2011 

An impassioned plea by Midland Deputy Mayor Stephan Kramp to go slow in eliminating collection of bulky/metal item split the Corporate Services Committee right down the middle yesterday.

Kramp told the committee that eliminating bulky collections in Midland had created a major backlash from residents. Commenting on a waste management sub-committee recommendation to discontinue the service and introduce a voucher system, he warned that it might be too much for residents to take, in combination with user-pay tags for all curbside garbage.

“We could be in for a hornet’s nest like we’ve never seen before,” Kramp said, urging that the matter be referred back to the committee for consideration of a transportation component – a user-pay pickup service to be provided by the county or by the local municipality. 

Committee chair Ken Ferguson disagreed. Bulky item pickup collection had been eliminated in Clearview with no problem, he said. He was supported by Warden Cal Patterson and Collingwood Deputy Mayor Rick Lloyd, who both said the change had been introduced in their municipalities and was a major step forward. Springwater Mayor Linda Collins also supported eliminating the bulky item pickup service.

But Penetanguishene Mayor Gerry Marshall, Tiny Deputy Mayor George Lawrence and Oro-Medonte Deputy Mayor Ralph Hough favoured further examination of the issue, particularly the possibility of allowing local municipalities to provide a pick-up service. 

A 4-4 vote meant the subcommittee recommendation on vouchers was defeated. What next? Ferguson said he didn’t want the issue to go back to the sub-committee because it’s a small group, with only four members. But with a 4-4 split, there seemed to be no way forward.

Ferguson turned to CAO Mark Aitken, who suggested what Kramp had proposed – referral of the issue back to the subcommittee. And so it went.

Councillors will be asked to reconsider no waste/import export position 

For the past few years, Simcoe County has a position of neither importing not exporting any waste. That will be revisited. A staff report to the Corporate Services Committee. 

states that county staff will be recommending that the no import/export policy be abandoned in order to allow short-term export of Simcoe County garbage to landfill sites in southern Ontario or the U.S., and/or to the Covanta incinerator or energy-from-waste facility in Clarington in Durham Region. The Covanta facility is now waiting for the Ontario environment ministry to grant it a certificate of approval. 

Presently, the three landfill sites presently accepting garbage (#10 Nottawasaga, # 11 Oro and # 13 Tosorontio) have a capacity of eight years unless the county’s waste is sent elsewhere, Environmental Services Director Rob McCullough says. 

A long-term plan for county garbage will be developed at the same time, McCullough told the committee, adding that it could include cooperation with Barrie and Orillia.

He said that the county will also move ahead to seek approval for design and operations reports for two other sites (#9 in Medonte and #12 in Sunnidale)  as recommended in the waste management strategy.

Simcoe County Council has received a letter from Site 41 activist Stephen Ogden that raises a number of questions regarding a 10-year-old proposal for development of a waste facility at CFB Borden. Documents relating to the plan were at issue during the (still-unresolved) Information and Privacy Commissioner’s investigation of Simcoe County in relation to Ogden’s FOI request for the calibrated computer model (MODFLOW) of hydrogeological conditions at Site 41. 

In a February 11, 2009 submission to the IPC, county lawyers Graham, Wilson and Green argued that the “proposal” could not be released to Ogden because it has cost the county a lot of money and resources that could be recouped by selling it to another municipality. “The Record has a vey real and high monetary value,” the county lawyers said, and the county would suffer “a considerable economic loss” if it was disclosed.

Ogden notes that he has been assured that county negotiations with CFB Borden have ceased – so the county can now recoup its investment. In the letter, he asks: “Will the “proposal” be sold?”

Councillors Stephan Kramp (Midland) and George Lawrence (Tiny) wanted to know. “Can staff answer this question?” asked committee chair Ferguson? 

CAO Mark Aitken said staff will prepare a report for county council. 

County considers deal with diabetes group for textile diversion

The waste management strategy adopted by the county last year calls for implementation of a textile diversion program in 2011. The county is negotiating with the Canadian Diabates Association to set up a collection area for reusable clothing at each of the county’s waste management facilities. Councillor Ralph Hough (Oro-Medonte) urged that the county explore opportunities to divert unusable, worn-out clothing.