Editorial: Residential Tipping Fees at CRD Transfer Stations

Editorial:

In an issue that pits the City of Williams Lake (City) vs the Cariboo Regional District (CRD) over the philosophy of how to manage solid waste costs  -- Williams Lake City Council received, at its' meeting this past Tuesday, a final report into a review of the City's Solid Waste System which you can read in its' entirety plus a synopsis of the report from the City's CAO (Chief Administrative Officer) here.

During the City Council meeting this past Tuesday -- both Williams Lake City Councillors Scott Nelson/Ivan Bonnell urged the CRD Board to get on with instituting a residential user fee or admin fee at the Central Cariboo Transfer Station on Frizzi Rd to assist with Solid Waste budget costs -- something not currently authorized in the CRD's Solid Waste Management Plan (read the Plan here) however the Plan does recognize a need to shift to more user pay and less taxation and the Plan outlines that this be further discussed in the development of the next CRD Solid Waste Management Plan, tentatively scheduled for 2020.  The City was advised that in January 2015 that residential tipping fees is not currently permitted however the City could request the CRD Board to do a Plan Amendment to permit residential tipping fees or similiar structure - To date, they have not done so

CRD Central Cariboo Directors' discussed themselves the City's Solid Waste System Review Final Report at a meeting held on Thursday, May 11th - you can read the report from CRD Staff here, a CRD Staff review of cost sharing between City/CRD for the Central Cariboo Transfer Station here and potential impacts on the outlining CRD Transfer Stations at Wildwood, Horsefly, Frost Creek and Riske Creek here.  The Directors' received the report from CRD Staff with no further action taken.  I expect the CRD Board will, at some future point, further take up this matter of residential tipping and/or admin fees at CRD Transfer Stations and when it does, it will be a vote of all 12 CRD Electoral Area Directors' and the Director for the District of Wells - currently Wells Mayor Robin Sharpe - as to next steps including whether deciding to implement residential tipping and/or admin fees immediately and defer it to the development of the next CRD Solid Waste Management Plan

In refreshing my mind recently on this topic -- the Advisory Committee established to guide the process to develop the current CRD Solid Waste Management Plan for years 2013-2022 inclusive -- Committee members were clear that residential tipping fees were not something that they were interested in pursuing, at the time, but should be further discussed at the development of the successor CRD Solid Waste Management Plan

Implementing immediately residential user fees at CRD Transfer Stations or Landfills and/or eliminating/significantly reducing the amount that a resident can bring to a transfer station/landfill before tipping fees kick in would be contrary to the spirit of the current CRD Solid Waste Management Plan, in my humble opinion, however I would support reviewing this topic holistically in the development of the next CRD Solid Waste Management Plan and that is what I will argue to my CRD colleagues if/when this topic finds itself at the CRD Board table

~SF

This editorial is my own and not reflective of the Cariboo Regional District  Board of Directors, its' Staff and Volunteers