A councillor's push to eliminate new user fees at Timmins landfills has been defeated.
Tuesday, Schumacher Coun. Joe Campbell made his argument to eliminate the $3 user fee that was put in at the Deloro landfill on Pine Street South and Tisdale Transfer Station this year. He was also asking to reinstate the free allowable threshold for people using the landfill.
“We all know that the city has a garbage problem, you just have to look around, and we have a subsequent bear problem,” Campbell told council.
No one on council seconded the motion and it was defeated before getting to a vote.
Over the next five years, the city is regulated to do a couple of projects — a $1.6 million composting program and a $2.5 million methane gas collection system.
When user fees were approved last year, public works and engineering director Pat Seguin said the annual operating cost for the department is about $4 million.
The $3 user fee at the sites is in addition to tipping fees residents pay to drop off garbage, and the free allowable limit has been eliminated.
Campbell said this is leading to sticker shock for people using the Deloro landfill.
Coun. Kristin Murray said that if the city doesn't charge a fee, the cost still has to come from somewhere. If people using it aren't paying per use that cost is distributed to all residents.
She also talked about the limited lifecycle of the dump.
“When we’re over-using the dump we’re not thinking about things we’re throwing away, we’re creating a problem for ourselves, which is multi-millions of dollars,” she said.
Murray acknowledged the bear problem and is disheartened to hear people are throwing garbage around the community.
“But I think that speaks to their character, not necessarily whether or not we charge $3,” she said.
South Porcupine Coun. Mickey Auger has a reminder for people not happy with the fee.
“The Tisdale transfer site is a convenience and if you don’t start paying for what you’re using it’s going to be taken away,” he said.
Aside from the weekly curbside pickup, without the transfer station, people would have to travel the extra distance down Pine Street South.
As the bears come out of hibernation, Campbell said people want to take garbage to the site to keep away the animals.
"One individual a week ago went four days with one bag, he paid $3 each day. That’s $12 for him to bring four bags of garbage to the Tisdale Transfer site to keep the bears out of his yard. He now tells me he’ll just keep the garbage, he doesn’t have a proper thing except the thing the city has provided, we all know that Yogi can get into those things pretty easy, he’s going to keep it until pick up day,” said Campbell.
He also noted many residents in Schumacher don't have a shed or garage to properly store the bins.
While Campbell appreciates the argument about the future of the dump, he said people pay taxes for certain services. If the city is going to go to user fee services, he said there's no reason to pay taxes.
“We can’t use the argument that this service is costing us money because people pay taxes, a lot of them pay a lot of taxes,” he said, noting people in Timmins pay some of the highest taxes in Northern Ontario.
Campbell has asked for a report showing the projected amount of money being brought in by raising user fees.
Timmins Mayor George Pirie has also asked for a staff report looking at the maximum fee for illegal dumping.
During the discussion, Pirie also noted community-driven initiatives to clean up such as the Timmins Chamber's business cleanup program next week, and the annual Barber's Bay Ratepayers Association event.
For the second consecutive year, the city's curbside spring clean-up is also cancelled. Instead, tipping fees will be waived at the Deloro Landfill from Tuesday, May 25 to Friday, May 28 from 8 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. and Saturday, May 29 to Sunday, May 30 from 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Do you agree with a user fee at the landfills? Vote in our poll here.
