North Frontenac Council - Mar 28/11

Jule Koch Brison | Mar 31, 2011

Waste reduction efforts succeeding - North Frontenac achieves 38% diversion

Guy Laporte and Anne Kloosterman of AECOM brought good news to North Frontenac Council when they presented their 2010 waste site reports.

Laporte presented detailed analyses of the township’s five active sites: 506, Ardoch, Kashwakamak, Mississippi and Plevna; the Cloyne and Ompah transfer stations; and the closed Fernleigh site.

At none of the sites were there serious enough problems with either ground or surface water to warrant any remedial actions and AECOM recommended only continued monitoring.

The 506 site is the only one where action will have to be taken because waste material has been pushed beyond the marked boundaries. Public Works Manager John Ibey explained that that had occurred in previous years before the boundaries were marked. The township will have to budget for the work because it will involve removing and reinstalling the site’s bear fence.

The Ministry of the Environment (MoE) has indicated that they have some concerns about the Ardoch site, but their officials have not kept appointments to meet with AECOM and the township about those concerns. Mayor Bud Clayton commented, “If they were really concerned we’d be hearing from them.”

Some sites, Mississippi and 506, had an increase in garbage prior to 2010, but Laporte said that was due to the Cloyne and Ompah waste sites closing, and in 2010 the amount of garbage went back down.

The really good news was that due to the township’s new waste diversion strategies, the amount of recyclables turned in at all sites in 2010 was greater than the amount of garbage. The Plevna site was the best, with 56% recyclables versus 44% household household. The 506 site was typical with 52% recyclables to 48% garbage.

When construction and other waste sources are included in the calculation as well as household garbage, the township has achieved 38% diversion since their Integrated Waste Management Plan was adopted two years ago. Its target is 50%, which Laporte said was lower than the 60% provincial target, but it is acknowledged that 60% diversion is only possible with measures like urban curbside pickup and green bins.

Guy Laporte was highly complimentary of the work that John Ibey and his crews have done in re-grading and attributed most of the sites’ improvements to their work, and also to the garbage compacter that the township is now using.

Township staff is continuing to seek more ways of diverting waste and is meeting with other municipalities about a new service to be available through Ottawa Valley Waste Recovery at a location near Arnprior, where they will be accepting shingles, concrete, and clean wood etc.

Mayor Clayton commented that in 2002 North Frontenac had an estimate of about 22 years of life left in all their sites. Nine years later, the estimate has improved to 28 years and he said it was due to the hard work of the staff.

He said that the biggest measure that the township could now take to reduce leachate would be to keep organics out of the sites through composting, as leachate comes from the water in decaying organic materials.

Council discussed two articles they received about fundraising by volunteer fire departments, which were written by a lawyer who is an advisor with the Alberta Fire Commissioner's Office and also an ex-firefighter. The letter cautioned that fire departments must receive prior approval from, and be acting under the direction of their municipal councils for all fundraising and purchases; otherwise the fire fighters can be personally liable if anything goes wrong. The articles also said that fire associations should be legally incorporated and monies they raise should go into the municipality's bank accounts. This is not presently the case in North Frontenac. Fire Chief Steve Riddell said that the Ompah and Snow Road departments are registered as non-profit organizations and the Clar-Mill Fire Department has applied or is applying to be registered. However, council will not require that funds be transferred to the township's bank account, merely that the township’s treasurer should be made aware of how much money is in the fire departments' accounts. Also that all fundraising must clearly specify what the funds will be used for and that the fire fighters understand that any assets they purchase become the township's property.

"We don't want to put a damper on the fire departments," said Mayor Clayton, "we just don't want anyone to be hurt."

Steve Riddell said he had discussed the articles with all the deputy fire chiefs and that there would be no problem; that all the firefighters are totally on board. It was also mentioned that the same concerns and rules apply to all volunteer organizations affiliated with the township.

The township will nominate Ernest Lapchinski for the Order of Ontario.

The Ompah ambulance base/fire hall is not on the agenda for the County of Frontenac's budget meeting on March 30, but will come up at the next county council meeting on April 20.

Mayor Clayton said he was trying to be “diplomatic” in his comments, but that a number of councilors at county council, including the North Frontenac councilors, are not in favour of what the county proposes to do with the federal gas tax monies they are receiving, which amounts to $817,000 per year. The money must be spent on “sustainable infrastructure”. County staff proposes to spend $620,000 and transfer $110,000 back to the townships, of which North Frontenac will get about $15,250. Mayor Clayton commented that infrastructure includes not only roads and bridges, but also telephone and hydro lines, churches, community halls. The county proposes to spend their $620,000 on various projects, including a study into the feasibility of a milk processing plant and expenditures on the K&P Trail (for a detailed breakdown see the March 17, 2011 article “Frontenac County Council” in our archives at frontenacnews.ca). Bud Clayton said that the K&P Trail is not continuous and that if the county gets into purchasing private property to develop the trail it would be an expensive proposition.