Of course. Are your wages going up as fast as user fees and taxes, cost of living. I doubt it!

The Foothills facility belongs to the regional district ? Thought it was a City of PG property, inside the city limits. Can anyone verify one way or another.

Look at PG Map on City website.

Wouldn't it be easier to just list the things that will NOT go up?

So it turns out the Foothills facility belongs to the regional district ( thought it belonged to the city for all the press releases talking about the gas program there and other initiatives ). It is located with city limits though. So time for a tax increase for the dump, so we can afford the new tipping fees ? Oh why do I see this going around in circles :)

Didnt the City tell us that the amount of garbage collected would go down with the new collection system that cost us millions?

Two years later, the tipping fees went up and we are collection more garbage.

Cheers

The City on June 13/06 said that they projected expected Trash Collection costs to rise each year for 5 years, and that by 2010 households would be paying $9.00 to $41.00 more per year than 2006. These hikes were subject to Council approval.

If the new garbage collection system was to save us $175,000.00 per year how could we come up with a $307,000.00 shortfall in 2006? Where are the savings?

They are stating that the lower vacancy rate accounts for more garbage going to the landfill, and that tipping fees were raised at the landfill. I guess the question would be how much more garbage is going to the landfill and how much was the tipping fee increase?

In a City news release December 19 2004 they stated that "Recycling volumes are up, and the volume of refuse being landfilled is down since the City implemented the user pay system with three sizes of the automated carts." Are we now saying the reverse is happening?

Once again the **hype** surrounding a new project is over and the actual costs are starting to come in. We need to know whether or not this new system is actually cheaper than the old, not because we would change back, but because if it isnt then those people who told us it would be, have to answer for their misinformation.

Another question would be how many Kilograms of garbage can be loaded into the new trucks compared to the old trucks. Is it possible that the new trucks are getting a smaller payload, and therefore making more trips to the landfill, and, paying more in tipping fee,s than the old trucks. (assuming they could handle a bigger payload)

Maybe the savings that were projected were never realized.

I might like to opt out of city garbage collection. I might wanna save my garbage and make a trip to the transfer station when garbage would warrant. At $2 bucks per trip, over a year would cost less than the garbage fee on my water and garbage bill. Maybe if I can't opt out, maybe I can take the city to court with my Charter of Rights thingy where it says "right of association".

Palopu said:

"We need to know whether or not this new system is actually cheaper than the old, not because we would change back, but because if it isnt then those people who told us it would be, have to answer for their misinformation."

I like that. Let's get rid of the culture of bullsh*t and have some accountability.

Here's what I had to say when the issue came up a few years back. Sound famiiliar?

***

I am losing my faith in financial analysts at city hall; first it was gas, now it is garbage. City hall is trying to convince us that a new, untested garbage collection system is going to save the city "in the neighbourhood of" $2 million over the next 15 years.

If that is the case, why are taxes going up?

The analysts must have omitted the cost of the new, required garbage bins that will be paid for by the taxpayer through a $7 increase in utility fees.

The proposal is to charge taxpayers $7 per year for the next ten years to cover the cost of the bins. Multiplied by 22,000 bins, we have a cost of $1.54 million. This, of course, doesn't include the cost of replacing stolen or damaged bins not covered by warrantee.

That looks like savings until one realizes the costs are calculated over ten years, but the savings are calculated over 15. Unknown at this time is how many bins will need replacement after 10 years of normal use. If we assume 30% of the bins will need replacing through the 15-year savings period, the total cost goes up $462,000 to $2.16 million.

Consider also the savings are projected and deferred, but the costs are real and immediate. Also, the savings could fall well short of $2 million.

But let's give the city the benefit of the doubt and agree the savings to the city are equal to the costs of the bins. In that case, I am left with my original question: why are taxes going up?

The reason why the RD controls the landfill is because the Regional Districts in BC are responsible for developing and monitoring the Solid Waste Management plans of their areas.

http://okinhealth.com/extra/waste-reduction-recycle.html

Read the link carefully and you will find out, in case you did not know, how far behind the eight ball PG is in this area as well. As I keep saying, we are under serviced in several areas. Garbage collection and proper curbside pickup of recyclables is just another one of those areas.

When the R Ds across the province were first given this responsibility they were supposed to reduce the amount of garbage going into land fills. I have not got the faintest clue how we are doing with that goal. I assume not very well, compared to other parts of the province, otherwise I am sure we would hear about it.

http://rdkb.iwebez.com/siteengine/ActivePage.asp?PageID=59&bhcp=1

http://www.rdos.bc.ca/index.php?id=192

Here i9s the Act which gives the RD its authority and duties with respect to solid waste management. Remember, PG is part of the Regional District, as is any other municipality.

Looks specifically under part 3 - Municipal waste management - section 25

Then, under section 27 - Public consultation process

"A municipality must provide for a process for comprehensive review and consultation with the public respecting all aspects of the development, amendment and final content of a waste management plan that applies to that municipality."

I cannot find the solid waste management plan for either PG or the RDFFG.

Here is the page for Nanaimo http://www.rdn.bc.ca/cms.asp?wpID=224 Pretty simple to find on their site, isn’t it. There is another service we do not have – good communication via a user friendly web page.

Here it is for Alberni region http://www.acrd.bc.ca/cms.asp?wpID=179

Here is a page for Shuswap which is embarking on a review. http://www.globe-net.ca/procurement_notices/listing.cfm?ID_Region=1&ID_Opportunity=2930

How many people here know what the waste management plan for PG and the RD is?

BTW .. has the news about the new radon levels broken in PG yet? It was in the Vancouver paper last week. PG is high up there, as we knew, but it sort of died. Combine radon with lousy air quality and we have more than a double whammy since the radon plates out on particulates in the air and we breathe it in quite nicely.

Environmental Management Act http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/stat/E/03053_00.htm

If you don't like the cost of waste disposal.....

- start composting
- quit buying stuff with excess packaging
- recycle paper products and returnable beverage containers

- give old stuff away on PG freecycle - go to yahoo.com groups and sign up - Its FREE

-push local govenment for better recycling options

Start owning YOUR OWN PROBLEM people