By Stephen Ogden
Almost 20 years have slipped by since the Tiny Township-based Why Wye Citizens Group proposed a Waste Management Strategic Plan. The proposal called for North Simcoe to become a “Demonstration Community” for all of Ontario. The proposal included the following components as an integral part of an overall waste management system:
1. As the County of Simcoe had newly acquired authority for waste management, a co-ordinated county-wide waste system would allow a pooling of experience, knowledge and resources, as a whole to open up a wider range of options with an increased financial base.
2. Citizens and politicians could work together. Where politicians may come and go, citizens’ groups that have been involved in the garbage issue for a considerable length of time have gained a tremendous amount of expertise and knowledge. We need to work together.
3. A commitment to the Ministry of the Environment’s directive to reduce 25% of the waste stream through recycling by 1992 and 50% by the year 2000.
4. A commitment to preserve our primary resources such as prime agricultural foodlands, air and water.
5. An understanding of the need for sustainable development through recognition of the sensitive balance between the need for economic growth and development in harmony with the environment.
6. A need to re-direct our thinking. A massive public education program to promote Reduction, Re-use, Recycle and Recovery.
7. A real commitment for change to push for better legislation to reduce excess packaging. To push for legislation for controls on the manufacturing sector to ensure products that can be recycled or re-used. To promote the development of industrial audits and waste exchanges – where by-products of one manufacturing process can be used as raw materials for someone else’s manufacturing process.
8. 100% Recovery/Recycling Facility to eventually recycle all of our waste stream. The goal is not only technically feasible but highly desirable.
9. A need for major initiatives to divert the waste stream from landfills and incinerators. We must take an inventory of existing landfills within the County and work to preserve that capacity, rather than developing new landfill sites.
10. The need for incentives for Research and Development to ensure a ready market for recyclable products. To ensure the development of the technology necessary to reach the goal of recycling 100% of our waste stream.
In case you haven’t noticed, the County of Simcoe took a different route over the last 20 years and have finally arrived almost back where they started from. Today we are in crisis because the County tells us we have little landfill capacity. The development of an Recovery/Recycling Facility remains a highly secretive undertaking hidden deep within the bowels of Simcoe County. It would appear the County’s vision is one of stay the course and ignore the obvious and inevitable.
On April 9, 2005, Miller Waste Systems wrote to Simcoe County: “Your staff have worked diligently on implementing an integrated waste strategy, its implementation takes time, there are many hurdles to overcome and it takes strong leadership from the staff and political levels to make it reality.”
What waste strategy? What hurdles? History is bound to repeat itself in the absence of strong transparent political leadership. Lets applaud and embrace the Why Wye citizens’ 20-year-old vision before time really does run out.
This is amazing! If only SC had taken this route 20 years ago..we wouldn’t be in this mess now! Why do they continually shut us out and refuse to listen to us.
I would just like to know who exactly it is at SC that is doing everything they can to stop this initiative from going forward. Are they on the take from Genivar?
it’s a bit sad to think that this 20 year effort to act responsibly towards our environment has made such little progress here in simcoe county.
rather than an individual causing this lack of progress , it may be the result of a culture of arrogance in the council members and staff.
we all know that politicians and bureaucrats are ego driven
i think that they are dismissive of any effort on the part of the public to steer the agenda.
it may be that this twenty year control over waste disposal has proven to be so lucrative to those involved that they will fight us no matter what.
all i can say is if simcoe county does not serve the people then what good are they.
Well said Stephen, as usual…
I plan to attend the Midland meeting at the Rec. Centre
Very insightful comments, Mr. Wilson. “…a culture of arrogance in the Council members and staff.” Thank you for incuding staff. Councillors come and go, but the waste problems have been in our faces for more than a GENERATION! In my view, senior staff, (some earning far more than the Warden himself) formulate plans of action which are then supported by just enough weak, compliant and/or ambitious councillors to allow some senior staff to hijack democracy itself. (That’s assuming the Councillors are even notified of those plans of action before they are implemented) Check our archives for Superior Court transcripts verifying this during cross examinations in 2009.
This kind of “Governance” could explain how the Why Wye waste management plan was so easily dismissed by Simcoe County Council almost twenty years ago. (A plan, by the way, that was broader, more complete, far reaching and up to date than anything we have seen from Stantec). Yes, County senior staff also come and go. However, they tend to stay far longer, and become more deeply entrenched, than the average Councillor. And who introduces an upcoming senior staff to how the top level works? The outgoing predecessor, of course.
Could this be the strongest thread in the long-lasting web of deceit that seems to have Simcoe County in it’s grip?
Just asking.