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October 26, 2015 Highlights of the Regional District of Central Okanagan Regular Board Meeting

Proposed Solid Waste Bylaw Amendment
The Regional Board has given first reading to an amendment to the Solid Waste Management Regulation Bylaw. If approved, it would add a four per cent late payment penalty.

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October 26, 2015 audio of entire RDCO Board meeting - .mp3 (385 MB)

October 26, 2015 audio of RDCO Board meeting only about Item 6.6 RDCO Solid Waste Management Regulation Amendment Bylaw - .wma (2.52 MB)

October 26, 2015 Regional District of Central Okanagan Regular Board Meeting Agenda

Item 6.6 RDCO Solid Waste Management Regulation Amendment Bylaw

*Note* Below is only a snippet, please click links above for entire content. 

Purpose: To amend Regional District of Central Okanagan Solid Waste Management Regulation Bylaw No. 1253, 2010 to add a late payment penalty.

Executive Summary:
The addition of a late penalty payment to RDCO Solid Waste Management Regulation Bylaw No. 1253 is necessary to align the RDCO's solid waste management bylaw with the other RDCO utility bylaws including the water systems bylaws and Central Okanagan East sewer bylaw. In order to enforce the late penalty payment it is required within all utility bylaws as all utility fees are included on the same bill.

The purpose of the late payment penalty is to discourage customers from allowing their utility bills from getting into arrears. In 2014 the RDCO had 515 accounts sent to taxes for collection and approximately 750-800 late utility reminders notices were sent out. The proposed late penalty payment charge is in line with other local service providers and is supported by Provincial regulations.

RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the Regional District of Central Okanagan Solid Waste Management Regulation Amendment Bylaw No. 2015 be given first, second, and third readings and adopted.

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October 26, 2015 audio of entire RDCO Board meeting - .mp3 (385 MB)

October 26, 2015 audio of RDCO Board meeting only about Item 6.6 RDCO Solid Waste Management Regulation Amendment Bylaw - .wma (2.52 MB)

Exciting changes have come to the Central Okanagan’s Recycling program and now you can recycle more than ever.

Here are the changes to recycling in the Central Okanagan.


1. More accepted in your curbside recycling cart and at depots including:

  · Disposable Paper Cups

  · Cartons (milk, soy milk, soup broth)

  · Aerosol Cans (hair spray, food spray)

  · Paper Cans (coffee, frozen juice)

  · Frozen Food Packaging (i.e. ice cream cartons)

  · Microwave Containers (single serve soups)


2. Recycle Styrofoam You can now take Styrofoam such as clean meat trays, egg cartons and electronic packaging to a local recycling depot. Styrofoam will not be accepted in the curbside recycling carts.

3. Plastic Film (such as plastic bags) will no longer be accepted in the curbside recycling carts and can be recycled at a depot (NO zipper lock bags, bubble wrap, cling wrap or garbage bags)

4. Depot and Transfer Station users will be required to separate their recyclables into the following categories:


Paper & Cardboard (all paper products including newspaper, flyers, magazines, catalogues, boxboard, cardboard and shredded paper in a clear plastic bag only)

Containers – tin, aluminum, plastic containers, paper cups, milk cartons, aerosol cans, paper cans etc.

Plastic Bags & Overwrap – (NO zipper lock bags, garbage bags, cling or bubble wrap)

White Styrofoam – Must be clean, no shrink wrap or absorbent pads found under meat

Coloured Styrofoam – Must be clean, no shrink wrap or absorbent pads found under meat

Glass – (NO ceramics, mirror or glasses)


All of these changes are a result of the Provincial Packaging and Printed Paper stewardship program being launched across BC. For more details, depot locations and recycling guides visit www.regionaldistrict.com/recyclemore or call the Waste Reduction Office at 250-469-6250

Here is a .pdf brochure about recycling that was sent by email.

Kind Regards,
Cynthia Coates, BSc-ES
Waste Reduction Facilitator
Regional District of Central Okanagan, 1450 K.L.O Road, Kelowna BC, V1W 3Z4
Phone: 250-469-6346 Fax: 250-762-7011
Visit our website regionaldistrict.com/recycle

Source:  This info came by email so there is no link.

Source:  RDCO Whats New

Starting January 1st 2012 it will cost more to dispose of garbage and yard waste at two Central Okanagan facilities for both residential and commercial customers.

Tipping fee increases for garbage and other solid waste materials were approved earlier this year by the Regional District Board for the Westside Residential Waste Disposal and Recycling Centre and the City of Kelowna for the Glenmore landfill.

Increases as of January 1st 2012 are as follows:

Bagged garbage $2.50 per bag (now $1.00 per bag)
Flat fee for up to 250 kg of garbage $8.00 (now $6)
Loads of garbage over 250 kg $65 per metric tonne (now $55)

Yard waste loads greater than 250 kg $40 per metric tonne (now $25)
Yard waste loads for material larger than 20cms in diameter $65 per metric tonne (now $55)
--**Up to 250 kilograms of yard waste will continue to be accepted free of charge**

Regional District Waste Reduction Manager Peter Rotheisler says the increase in fees is necessary given the major capital projects planned for the Glenmore Landfill, the only remaining active landfill in the Central Okanagan and provides additional incentive for residents to reduce, reuse and recycle. Rotheisler adds, “It’s also the first time in almost twenty years the bag and under 250 kilogram disposal fees have gone up since they began back in the 1990’s.”

Even with next year’s increase, tipping fees in the Central Okanagan remain lower than many of the surrounding areas. Tip fee rates in the North Okanagan, Columbia Shuswap, and Kootenay Boundary are between $70 and $85 per metric tonne, and Metro Vancouver is slightly below $100 per metric tonne.

For more information on tipping fee increases, visit regionaldistrict.com/recycle, or contact the Regional Waste Reduction Office, at 250.469.6250.

(December 14, 2011)

Source:  RDCO's What's New

Westbank First Nations (WFN) garbage bill

This below was copied off the financial plan of 2011.
Look at page 29 and then go down from there to page 33 of the document to see what we see
http://www.regionaldistrict.com/docs/bylaws/Bylaws/Bylaw1289.pdf


092 - SWM: Westside Waste Disposal & Recycling Centre WFN PAYS $86,149 / Total Revenue $492,400

093 - SWM: Westside Sanitary Landfill / Waste Disposal & Recycling Centre (in 2010 in 2011 - this portion moved to cc 092 for cost tracking)
WFN PAYS $0 parcel tax it shows / Total Revenue $46,575

094 - SWM: Waste Reduction Program
WFN is not mentioned at all / Total Revenue $630,505

095 - SWM: Solid Waste Collection (Electoral Areas)
WFN is not mentioned at all / Total Revenue $484,957

096 - SWM: Recycling
WFN is not mentioned at all / Total Revenue $2,211,261

As of January 1st 2012 the cost of disposing garbage and large loads of yard waste at two Central Okanagan facilities is going up for both residential and commercial customers. It’s been almost 20 years since rates last went up.

Tipping fee increases for garbage and other solid waste materials have now been approved by the Regional District Board for the Westside Residential Waste Disposal and Recycling Centre and are the same fee amendments also recently approved by the City of Kelowna for the Glenmore landfill, so waste disposal fees are consistent across the Central Okanagan.

The approved increases for January 1st 2012 are as follows:

The cost of disposing bagged garbage will go up to $2.50 per bag (now $1.00 per bag)
The flat fee for up to 250 kilograms of garbage will rise from $6.00 to $8.00
Loads of garbage over 250 kilograms will be charged $65 per metric tonne (now $55)
Yard waste loads greater than 250 kg will cost $40 per metric tonne (now $25)
Yard waste loads for material larger than 20cms in diameter will rise to $65 per metric tonne (now $55)
--**Up to 250 kilograms of yard waste will continue to be accepted free of charge**

Regional District Waste Reduction Manager Peter Rotheisler says the increase in fees is necessary given the major capital projects planned for the Glenmore Landfill and provides a more significant incentive for residents to reduce, reuse and recycle. Rotheisler adds, “It’s also the first time the bag and under 250 kilogram disposal fees have gone up since they began back in the 1990’s.”

Even with next year’s increase, tipping fees in the Central Okanagan remain lower than many of the surrounding areas. Tip fee rates in the North Okanagan, Columbia Shuswap, and Kootenay Boundary are between $70 and $85 per metric tonne, and Metro Vancouver is slightly below $100 per metric tonne.

For more information on tipping fee increases, visit regionaldistrict.com/recycle, or contact the Regional Waste Reduction Office, at 250-469-6250.

(September 26, 2011)

Source:  Regional District of Central Okanagan What's New

It'll cost more to dump on the westside
Castanet.net - by Wayne Moore - Story: 64898 - Sep 20, 2011


Photo: Wayne Moore - Castanet File Photo
 

It'll cost you more to drop off garbage at the Westside Residential Waste Disposal and Recycling Centre beginning next year.

Fee increases were approved by the Regional Board Monday.

The fee amendments to the Solid Waste Management Bylaw are the same as those recently approved by the City of Kelowna for the Glenmore Landfill meaning waste disposal fees are now consistent across the Central Okanagan.

As of January 1, 2012, the cost of disposing bagged garbage will rise from $1 per bag to $2.50 a bag, $8 for loads up to 250 kilograms (now $6) or $65 per metric tonne for loads over 250 kilograms (now $55).

While up to 250 kilograms of yard waste will continue to be accepted without charge, loads greater than 250 kilograms will cost $40 per metric tonne ($25 now) and $65 per metric tonne if material is larger than 20 centimetres in diameter.

The last time some of the fees increased at these facilities was 2006.

It’s the first time the bag and under 250 kilogram garbage disposal fees have gone up since the 1990’s.

Minister Terry Lake says the refusal comes in part to Metro Vancouver finishing their solid waste management plan which doesn't include landfill plans.

Lake says as far as Metro Vancouver's Ashcroft Ranch property they could re-apply in the future.

"They own the Ashcroft Ranch so theoretically they could apply in the future if they wanted to pursue this option, but you know there is lots of information that has come into play since 2005 with the completion of their solid waste management plan, so the conditions are different."

Metro Vancouver made the application in the event the Cache Creek landfill closed, but it instead was granted an extension.

Source - RDCO Whats New

Like clockwork, Allan Cheaney awaits his turn to tip the contents of his service truck into the waiting tractor trailer.

He has to speak loudly over the roar of municipal garbage trucks that have congregated at the City of Victoria transfer station where every day is garbage day.

It’s Cheaney’s job to gather up the oddities that are found on city streets – unwanted furniture and mattresses, broken glass, spilled fluids and even animal carcasses – and bring them here to be hauled away to Hartland Landfill in Saanich.

“It’s getting worse, I could do that all day,” Cheaney said of the furniture dumping he sees every day. “It’s starting to be in the more affluent areas.”

On average, every CRD resident generated 413 kilograms of waste in 2009, down from 670 kilograms in 1989.

That may be an improvement, but there is still a long way to go if the Capital Regional District hopes to divert 60 per cent of the waste heading to the landfill by 2013, and 90 per cent by 2020. The goal is to extend the life of Hartland beyond 2040.

The problem is that garbage has become an out-of-sight, out-of-mind issue for many people, said Robert Gifford who has been teaching environmental and consumer psychology at the University of Victoria for the past 31 years.

“We all have lots of things to do in our life,” he said, explaining why few people ponder the implications of what they’re throwing away. “Whatever is in front us right now takes precedence.”

Curbside collection, done weekly in Victoria and bi-weekly in Esquimalt, Saanich and Oak Bay, has offered people convenience, but has cut them off from their relationship with the environment.

“We’re less in touch with nature now and we’re less in touch with garbage now,” Gifford said. “When people see what the impact could be, it changes people’s behaviour.”

About 2,000 people attended Hartland Landfill’s open house last year, where they got up close and personal with some of the landfill’s 48 hectares. In addition, CRD educational campaigns over the years have helped boost recycling efforts. As a result, Hartland Landfill is being filled more slowly than anticipated.

More than 90 per cent of single-family homes in the CRD participate in the blue box recycling program.

More than 19,000 tonnes of recyclables are now diverted from the trash every year.

“People have gotten their heads around recycling,” said Monique Booth, CRD environmental sustainability communications co-ordinator. “There is a behavioural change and a philosophical shift in consumption.”

Still, about 140,000 tonnes of refuse is trucked to the landfill every year.

According to Gifford, some people might not be as honest about their environmental efforts as they say they are.

In three different published studies, evidence shows many people will say they recycle more than they actually do, Gifford explained. Researchers actually looked into blue boxes before they questioned residents.

“In other words, what it shows is you can’t be very confident about what people say,” Gifford said about why people lie about their efforts to be green. “We want to look good.”

To get a better look at what we throw out, how much, and in which neighbourhoods, the CRD conducted a waste composition study for 2009 and 2010, as it does every five years. Out of the samples collected from Victoria, Esquimalt, Saanich, Oak Bay and View Royal, about 30 per cent of the trash was organic waste. Some of the garbage was recyclable -- about 16 per cent was paper and paper products and 13 per cent was plastics.

“There’s still a lot (of recyclables) in the garbage, but there has been a significant drop from 20 years ago,” said Tom Watkins, manager of Hartland operations.

Over at the Victoria waste transfer station, Tej Labh has witnessed a gradual decline in the amount of garbage his solid waste crews collect every year. Last year, 4,800 tonnes was collected, down from 5,000 tonnes in 2008. “People just know now,” said Labh, senior lead hand of Victoria’s solid waste and recycling division. “People are catching on about doing the right thing.”

emccracken "at" vicnews.com


By the numbers

• 125: Number of hectares Hartland covers, including 48 hectares of landfill area.

• 561: Number of tonnes of asbestos taken to the landfill in 2009.

• 1,600: Number of homes that can be supplied with electricity generated from methane gas produced at Hartland.

• 15: Number of years it takes to secure a new landfill site.

• 25: Number of years Hartland must be monitored after closure. CRD is putting money aside for monitoring costs until 2070.



Thrown away

Results of CRD solid waste composition study, 2009-2010:

Single-family homes:

• Saanich: corrugated cardboard, furniture, clothing, construction materials such as carpet.

• Esquimalt: feminine hygiene products, newsprint such as flyers, glass.

• View Royal: ferrous metals, disposable diapers, animal feces, electronics, kitty litter.

• Victoria: books, footwear, organic waste.

• Oak Bay: tissue paper, paper towels and napkins, aluminum foil and trays, plastics.

• Since 1989, there has been a 42-per-cent drop in the amount of garbage taken to the dump.


Apartments:

• Saanich: organic waste, tissue paper, paper towels, napkins, milk cartons.

• Victoria: electronics, clothing, magazines, cardboard.

• Oak Bay: feminine hygiene products, disposable diapers, glass and household hazardous waste such as empty aerosol cans.

• Esquimalt: small appliances, kitty litter, ferrous metals, furniture.


Hartland Landfill timeline:

1950s: Hartland used as an unregulated dump site.

1985: CRD takes over landfill operations.

1997: The year phase two opened; it can accept about seven million cubic meters of solid waste.

1998: Year that phase one of the landfill closed, with 4.5 million cubic metres of garbage that runs 50 metres deep.

2040: Year the CRD has previously predicted phase two of the landfill will be full.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_south/saanichnews/news

RDCO Waste Reduction – Contamination of Waste - Council asked staff to provide a report on the increased Radio Frequency Identification System (RFID) fee for unsorted solid waste collection to be brought forward in January for Council’s consideration. RDCO Board Chair Robert Hobson and representatives from the Waste Reduction Office and the City of Kelowna presented information on the RFID program. The District also received a letter from the City of Kelowna indicating that if the RFID system is not in place for West Kelowna, West Kelowna yard waste would need to be inspected separately for contaminants at an annual estimated cost of $46,575. On October 26, Council voted to not approve the new charge of $1.68 per household in West Kelowna for the completion of the installation of the RFID system for waste collection. The system allows information to be recorded automatically each time a waste truck tips a waste collection cart. The owner and address, date and time is recorded. It also allows for simple collection of information on offences committed (ie: illegal item in cart cart in bike lane, overloaded cart) and takes a picture of the offence.

If West Kelowna does not want to take part in a regional RFID waste monitoring system, the city of Kelowna plans to volley the expense of separate inspection back to the municipality.

Central Okanagan Regional District board chairman Robert Hobson said the issue of whether or not to participate in the system is West Kelowna’s decision.

“The Regional District of Central Okanagan has no particular interest in this decision, we don’t benefit or lose,” said Hobson.

He pointed out the proposal came initially from technical staff, to deal with contamination of waste.

Hobson noted that for different reasons, the contamination creates a problem. For the recycling programs, it is more difficult for waste to be resold, decreasing revenue from re-selling materials. For the yard waste system, the problem is items in the waste that damage chipping equipment.

Hobson added that it is a policy decision West Kelowna has the right to make and the regional district can implement customized service for it. But from the city of Kelowna perspective, there are issues around the requirements of its landfill.

In a letter to the West Kelowna officials, Kelowna city manager Ron Mattiusi said it cost $225,000 to decontaminate all yard waste received in 2010 at the landfill, approximately 11,900 metric tonnes. More than 20 per cent of that waste came from West Kelowna.

“It is not unusual for material such as microwaves, batteries, small demolition material, automotive parts and concrete to be included with yard waste at the curb,” wote Mattiussi.

He said the RFID system provides the necessary data to identify and penalize offenders. If West Kelowna chooses not to participate in the system, all yard waste material from the district will be inspected separately. He noted that material would not have had the benefit of the RFID system. Kelowna’s estimated cost for doing a separate inspection of West Kelowna yard waste is $46,575.

Mattiussi added Kelowna would also be prepared to consider any pre-delivery inspection alternatives that West Kelowna could offer.

CORD waste reduction supervisor Peter Rotheisler noted the question had come up over whether the regional district takes added revenue from recyclables and transfers it to its collection budget.

He noted processing rebates from recyclable materials remain within the budget, and go towards paying for processing and depot operations.

The latest estimate of the cost per household to put the RFID system in place in West Kelowna is an additional $1.68 per year.

In response to questions about how to stop people from putting items in someone else’s bin, Rotheisler noted when items are found, the regional district approaches bin owners, assuming they are responsible.

He added that if the owners tell the regional district they are not responsible for the improperly placed material, they would receive educational materials on the proper use of the bin.

“It’s their responsibility to make sure their bin is secure.”

He added that catching people sneaking around is not something the district is able to do anything about.

West Kelowna Coun. Carol Zanon said she saw discrimination possibilities in a system that has an agency snooping into people’s garbage, finding out what is in it, creating criminal charges and suing based on what it might find.

“One civil libertarian called it ‘creeping functionalism,’” she said.

Zanon pointed out there are prospective savings from the system, but a truck driver filming pickups would still travel at the same pace.

She added there would be a whole hierarchy of people needed to review the films and find out if there’s something culpable in the bins or not.

“I really would like to fall in line and say ‘heck Carol, it’s only garbage,’ but I think there’s a time when you have to take a stand on people’s rights to privacy.'

Mayor Doug Findlater noted what the RFID system does is more efficiently tie bins to a residence.

His concern is inaccuracy due to the potential of planted materials and the cart sharing that occurs among some property owners living on the Westside.

msimmons "at" kelownacapnews.com

To the editor:

Re.: Does the District of West Kelowna Get a Free Ride? Nov. 10 Capital News

When Kelowna city councillors Graeme James and Robert Hobson heard that the Westside mayor and council had voted against chipping in for the second stage of a regional plan they had approved in the first phase, two years earlier, Mr. James said he is tired of subsiding West Kelowna and Mr. Hobson said West Kelowna’s decision to not participate should be passed on so as to end the free ride.

Their comments insinuate that we don’t pay our share since our community began using the Glenmore land fill site.

When the new automated system was implemented two years ago our rates went from $21 quarterly to $80 quarterly. That is a 400 per cent increase. The taxpayers increase in waste collection fees certainly doesn’t reflect anything near to being a free ride to me. We never had a say about implementing these garbage bins that are taxing us to death.

Peter Rotheisler says that it is a regional land fill but they own and operate it. He neglected to say they own it and run it with our tax dollars. He also says there should be an additional fee charged to the District of West Kelowna if contaminated loads end up at the land fill site. The Central Okanagan Regional District should educate the public and clarify exactly what is allowed to go in each of the three containers. Recycle, garbage and yard waste.

Before we became the District of West Kelowna, the Central Okanagan Regional District was in charge of the land fill on the Westside. They really dropped the ball when developers were allowed to build houses around the Westside land fill site. In my humble opinion, I am sure they saw the writing on the wall but allowed it to go ahead anyway.

All the districts were asked if they wanted to participate in phase 2. When Peachland’s mayor and council voted, they voiced there objection, but voted for it anyway.

The District of West Kelowna voted no to the proposal, so now we are looking like the bad guys. I am glad they said no for the following reasons:

• It is an infringement on our privacy. In monitoring our garbage they are taking a picture record of our home and property and therefore destroying our privacy

• The pictured garbage doesn’t necessarily mean that it is ours. Once on the street others can put stuff in our containers .

If we didn’t have a choice in which way to vote then why would they ask each district. It’s like asking which door would you like: Door No. 1 with $50,000 or door No. 2 with $50. I know which door I would pick.

I know it costs money to operate and maintain the land site. Peter Rotheisler tells us taxpayers are footing a $70,000 to $80,000 annual bill for sorting garbage out of recyclables and several hundred thousand dollars a year to clean up contaminated yard waste. Why not take the money they make from the recycled paper, compost yard waste, cardboard, plastics, metals etc. and use it for any extra costs incurred instead of charging another fee?

Currently, a flat rate applies but once the system is fully functional a user pay system will replace it so households could be charged according to how often their carts are tipped. Once that system is in place some people who have extra garbage may want to circumvent the extra tipping fees by finding some back road to dump their garbage. The district will then have another problem to contend with.

Trish Ficke,
Westbank

Operating hours at local landfills are a hot-button issue.

North Okanagan Regional District directors spent time Wednesday debating the Greater Vernon and Armstrong-Spallumcheen landfills, which are open from 9:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

“People want to go early and 9:30 a.m. is too late,” said director Doug Dirk. “We need to be responding to them.”

Staff has indicated advertising will be increased to make the public aware of hours of operation so they aren’t arriving when the landfills are closed. However, Dirk doesn’t believe that should be the only action.

“Giving information is good but getting information from the public on what works best for them is also good,” he said.

In 2007, the two landfills went from being open on just Saturdays to both Saturdays and Sundays. The Saturday hours were adjusted and the total hours available on weekends went from eight to 12.

Staff are presently looking at maintaining the total number of hours but perhaps changing them so the landfills are open longer when demand is high and reducing hours when use is low.

“We’d like to be able to react more quickly to customer demand,” said Dale Danallanko, recycling and disposal facility co-ordinator.

Some board members fear the prospect of rotating hours during the course of a year could become confusing for residents.

“People get used to a certain time and when it changes, we get illegal dumping in the area,” said director Rick Fairbairn. “Keep the hours stable or increase the time the landfills are open.”

Director Mike Macnabb pointed out that hours of operation impacts staff time and that has budget implications for the regional district.

“We could provide the service 24/7 but we’d go broke,” he said. “We have to be careful not to increase the hours and not get the tonnage we expected.”

Higher fees for people disposing of residential garbage at local landfills has been trashed.

North Okanagan Regional District directors have shot down a staff proposal to increase the minimum tipping fee from $3 to $4 per tonne in January.

“The increase to self-haulers is unreasonable,” said director Will Hansma of people who don’t pay for garbage collection and get rid of garbage on their own.

The minimum fee to use the scales at landfills has been $3 a tonne since 2005, and was $7 before that.

“The fee was lowered originally five years ago to accommodate users of the rural transfer stations,” said Nicole Kohnert, regional engineering services manager, in a written report.

“The cost to use the scales and make a disposal facility available to each user that enters a recycling and disposal facility is substantially higher than $3 per person or load.”

Kohnert believes higher fees will also cut down on the number of trips residents make to landfills.

“If you have more self-haulers than can be handled on site, the big haulers get irritated,” she said, referring to long lines of vehicles at the scales.

However, Hansma said there are many residents in Spallumcheen who don’t have access to commercial garbage collection and they need to get rid of their trash.

Director Doug Dirk opposed the higher minimum tipping fee, saying it could lead to illegal dumping.

“If people are discouraged to self-haul, they may look for other options especially in rural areas,” he said.

While the minimum tipping fee isn’t going up, other fees at local landfills are increasing.

Starting in January, the fee for regular refuse will be increased from $75 to $85 per tonne. That money will go into the capital reserve, the landfill closure reserve and the solid waste management operating reserve.

Doug Findlater doesn’t want to get into a political war of words, but the concept his community is getting a free ride on the backs of Kelowna taxpayers doesn’t resonate.

“This is where it gets hazy,” the West Kelowna mayor said, when asked if rejecting the option to chip in for the next phase of a regional district garbage removal program, indicated his city was getting subsidized by the City of Kelowna.

That issue was raised at the Kelowna city council meeting on Monday.

“The regional district (of the Central Okanagan) came to council and indicated there was a choice to levy this additional fee on our residents…but it was presented as a choice,” Findlater said.

It was during Kelowna’s turn to make that same choice that the issue came to the fore.

While voting unanimously to chip in the $1.50 to $1.70 per resident for the next stage of a video surveillance system that will help identify people who tuck their garbage into their recycling or yard waste bins, Kelowna city councillors questioned how West Kelowna could get off the hook from a program they helped implement years earlier.

Coun. Graeme James went so far as to say West Kelowna was being subsidized by Kelowna.

“When it came to us, the privacy issue with the spy cam was very big,” said Findater, pointing out that his council addressed the issue on a social level.

“There was some question about whether this would even work, or what would happen if carts were being moved onto streets and a neighbour planted something in a neighbours (bin)…that kind of petty stuff that we know happens.”

Concerns were also raised about whether the system was the first step toward a user pay method, and if that would be effective.

“We want the system to be easy to use, not more difficult,” he said.

That said, the regional district will be making a return to West Kelowna council chambers to further explain how the system works. If savings from the potential user pay system overrides social concerns that have been raised, the system may be implemented in West Kelowna.

As is, it’s the only city within the reach of the regional district using the curb-side pickup program that won’t have its waste monitored to ensure its being sorted properly.

For those who are taking part, there are concerns that could make way for West Kelowna citizens to abuse the system and contaminate the recycling or yard waste storage, which causes another cost for taxpayers.

If that concern persists, and West Kelowna is never sold on the concept of the workings of the new system, Findlater pointed out they have other directions they can move toward.

“This may move council down another path,” he said. “Should we look at a landfill in West Kelowna in the medium term…or start working on a kind of search and business plan.”

Findlater also pointed out that Westbank First Nation is not taking part in the program, and said it may be worth looking into how their garbage is collected and how that fits into the community at large.

“There are a number of options and the situation is quite fluid right now,” he said.

“We may be back into the program, stay the course, or look at our own route.”

The District of West Kelowna has gone against the garbage grain by turning down a proposal to monitor residential waste collection.

The regional district, on behalf of the two electoral areas, and the Districts of Lake Country and Peachland voted in favour of expanding Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology in the curbside waste collection system. The City of Kelowna has yet to decide what it will do.

West Kelowna council took more than an hour earlier this week before voting five to two to reject the optionto allow the regional district’s private waste hauler to monitor what goes inside curbside bins.

“Currently each waste collection cart includes an RFID ticket that is in the cart,” Peter Rotheisler, regional waste reduction supervisor, told council. “That sticker, each time a bin is tipped, can be read by an operational system.”

Rotheisler explained that the RFID tag stores a small amount of information and can be read on waste pickup days. Information that can be recorded includes who the cart belongs to, the address corresponding to the cart, the cart’s serial number and the type of waste associated with that cart.

A computer on board the collection truck would record the date and time a cart is emptied and any other information the driver wants to input onto a touch computer screen. Additional information could include that the cart was found in the middle of the street, was turned upside down or contained the wrong type of material for the cart.

“The tags are in place. The readers are in place,” said Rotheisler. “The onboard system and the software are not in place.”

Rotheisler has been going to each municipality in the Central Okanagan, looking for approval for an expanded RFID system, which would cost each household between $1.50 and $1.70 per year.

In total, the regional district needs to raise $450,000 to $500,000 to implement the upgraded RFID system.

The new system would allow for improvements to the current waste collection system, according to Rotheisler, including:

• Implementing a user pay system where residents are charged for waste collection based on what they set out at the curb;

• Monitoring how much work the contractor is doing, which would enable the regional district to justify increases or decreases in charges;

• Collecting data on how households manage their waste, including visits from staff to specific homes that put out a lot of garbage but little recycling;

• Ability to enforce the Solid Waste Management Bylaw by identifying banned materials that are put in collection carts.

Currently the regional district is receiving higher than expected revenues on recyclables, said Rotheisler. In the first half of 2010, $100,000 more was received for recyclables and Rotheisler said that translates to about $4 annually per household, which he said would offset the required increase for the new RFID system.

“There’s a certain big brotherliness to this,” said Coun. Bryden Winsby. He asked exactly how the new system would work and how it differs with what is done currently.

Rotheisler said the new system would see a 15 inch monitor put in collection trucks, which are already equipped with cameras. If a driver sees an infraction, he would press a button, which would record a photo of the cart’s contents and be associated with the date, time and other information collected.

As it stands today, if a driver sees the wrong material in a cart, he has to pull out a pen and paper and then try to figure out which house the cart came from. Rotheisler said that is nearly impossible in some instances, because carts are all put together in some areas for pick up.

“They can’t capture an image,” said Rotheisler, adding the driver has no hard evidence currently that an infraction has taken place.

Rotheisler said currently homeowners are being charged between $70,000 and $80,000 per year to sort garbage out of recyclables and several hundred thousand dollars per year to clean up contaminated yard waste.

“I don’t want to focus on the savings. I think they’re alleged at this point in time,” said Coun. Carol Zanon.

“I do feel a burning resentment about what we were told about these carts in the beginning,” Zanon said, adding she does not recall during the launch of the new curbside collection system anyone mentioning anything about an RFID system.

“I think this is a draconian invasion of privacy,” said Zanon.

Rotheisler responded that the RFID tags were seen as a way of keeping inventory of the carts. Coun. Rosalind Neis agreed with Zanon.

“I think this was the intent all along and it was never shared with municipalities and the public,” she said.”

“I’m concerned with regards to privacy,” said Mel Chapman, who appeared before council as a delegation. “I see it very clearly as coming down to creating a police state.”

“My message is educate, don’t dominate,” said Chapman.

Wasteful Okanaganites are already being viewed through cameras installed on garbage trucks, but in the next couple of months more technology may be in place to ensure you put your junk into the right trunk.

Kelowna city council will be tapped for an additional $1.50 to $1.70 per household per year to cover off the cost of garbage trucks’ on-board computers, software, data collecting and hosting services.

If the request goes through, it will augment garbage truck cameras and bin-tagging equipment installed last January, which went along with the recently implemented three-bin system, for garbage, recycling and yard waste.

“The completion will allow us to capture and save real time images of what happens when the carts are dumped,” said Peter Rotheisler, the Central Okanagan’s waste reduction manager.

Initially that will provide an opportunity for the the district to focus their efforts educating those who continually use their bins in the wrong manner, mixing recyclables with yard waste or garbage. In time the reach of the tool will expand.

“Now we can track every time a bin was (dumped) and whose bin it was. It will also allow us to see who is using what bin more frequently,” he said. “There are some who are using garbage every week and their recycling only once in awhile.”

When the system is going gangbusters, that means the pay structure for waste reduction services could be altered to the benefit of those who are waste conscientious.

“It will allow us to charge residents in a more equitable way,” he said, adding that part of the program will take some time roll out.

“Right now we need to collect some baseline data on how much usage is occurring and come up with a financial system to make sure all the costs are covered.”

A more pay-per-use system is in place in San Francisco, Rotheisler said and it’s helped reduce the waste put into nearby landfills, which is the ultimate goal.

While reducing waste is the aim of the program, Rotheisler admits its gained more attention for infringing on privacy than anything else.

“A lot of people think it’s great that we’re taking these steps, but others are worried about privacy,” he said.

“We’re looking at the garbage at a very crude level to identify what the products are made of, not the type of information that’s on them.”

To the editor:

Since the introduction of the road-side bins for garbage, recycling and yard waste was introduced in Kelowna, residential streets are now looking more like grubby alleys than anything else.

Many residents took delivery of their new bins, and they have sat on the curb ever since.

Other jurisdictions have introduced bylaws with fines for residents who cannot be bothered to pull their cart into their yard, and hopefully out of sight.

Certainly we can avoid such a necessity if people would just show some respect for their neighbours and pride in their own living space by only putting the bins out on “garbage day.”

Jennifer Lamarre,
Kelowna

Mike Bottomley of OK Environmental Waste Systems operates a video camera on his garbage truck Photograph by: Chris Stanford, for The Province

Tossing a recyclable pizza box out with the trash will soon be a costly mistake for some Okanagan residents.

Mixing things like cardboard, batteries or electronics in with the garbage will net residents a warning from the city, a fine of up to $100 or even the cancelling of their curbside pickup, said Peter Rotheisler, manager of waste reduction at the Central Okanagan Regional District.

Camera-equipped garbage trucks will film what gets dumped and make sure people are recycling properly.

"It gives us the data necessary to know what's happening on the streets," said Rotheisler.

The new system will cost $80,000 to $100,000 to implement, said a district official.

Waste trucks in its five cities — Kelowna, West Kelowna, Peachland, Lake Country and the Regional Electoral Area — already have video cameras, Rotheisler said, so drivers can monitor what's getting scrapped in real time. In the new plan, the cameras will be able to record what's thrown out so city staff will have proof of bad behaviour.

Since the district introduced a three-bin system last year, providing garbage, recycling and yard waste bins for each household, waste contamination has become a big problem, he said.

The system has helped in keeping more material out of the landfill, he said, but it costs about $300,000 a year to pull out materials that are disposed of incorrectly.

It's the first system of its kind in the country that he knows of, though other cities in Canada and the U.S. are close behind.

Brock Macdonald, executive director of the Recycling Council of B.C., said improperly sorted recyclables eat up precious landfill space, and he applauded the district's enforcement plans.

"Folks are generally not motivated well to do the right thing," he said. "Once you know how to do this stuff, it's not that difficult."

In terms of privacy, garbage doesn't have any rights, said Michael Vonn, policy director of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, but trash can reveal a lot about its owner.

"We would want to keep an eye on the uses of it," Vonn said of the district's program. "This is a slope, we're not sure how slippery it is."

Said Rotheisler: "We're not watching people ... We're looking for material types — paper, cardboard, garbage — in the wrong spot."

Both Kelowna and the Regional Electoral Area have already approved the new monitoring system, and garbage cameras could start rolling as soon as next year.

lbaziuk "at" theprovince.com

© Copyright (c) The Province

Curbside Collection Equipment Upgrade - The Regional Board has approved a proposed upgrade to the residential curbside wheeled cart collection system for the Central Okanagan East and Central Okanagan West Electoral Areas. The upgrade will provide computer software and equipment for collection trucks completing the Radio-Frequency Identification system. The system will automatically record detailed information such as when garbage, recycling and yard waste carts are emptied into collection trucks, whether illegal materials were deposited and a photo image of the offense. The cost for this upgrade ranges between $1.50 and $1.70 per household in each of the remaining six years of the collection contract. Each participating municipality will be asked to consider approving the program for its residential collection customers.

A local municipality believes it is being unfairly dumped on over a new landfill fee.

Armstrong officials are asking that the North Okanagan Regional District defer a $5 per tonne closure reserve surcharge until 2011 because of the negative impact it’s having on the city’s finances.

“It’s made it tough to deal with it,” said Armstrong director John Trainor, adding that the city’s 2010 budget was determined before it received notice from the regional district on the new levy.

“We’re not going to go back to our taxpayers and say there’s a late item we have to pay for.”

The city pays a contractor directly for waste collection and it’s expected the contractor will now be billing more because of the $5 per tonne surcharge.

“Council was concerned around the lateness of advising municipalities of the solid waste management rate increases,” said Patti Ferguson, Armstrong’s chief administrative officer, in a letter to NORD.

“The City of Armstrong bills residents for their services at the same time the property tax notices are mailed out. The notices have been sent for 2010 and council has elected to not collect the increased fees from residents until 2011.”

NORD staff say that details about the surcharge were sent out to member jurisdictions in early May, and there is no way that collection of the fee can be stopped now.

“We started charging this as of July 1,” said Arnold Badke, general manager of engineering.

Will Hansma, Spallumcheen director, doesn’t believe any municipality should have been surprised by the regional district’s process.

“We first dealt with this back in February and there was ample opportunity for people to prepare their budgets,” he said.

The goal of the surcharge is to build up enough funds to cover the future costs of closing down local landfills.

Increased tipping fees at the North Okanagan Regional District’s recycling and disposal facilities means it costs more to collect garbage in Vernon.

City council adopted a bylaw to increase rates for commercial and residential refuse and recycling collection.

Effective Monday, NORD, which operates local landfills, will increase tipping fees for garbage collection from $62 to $75 a tonne.

Vernon residential customers will see garbage collection go from $19.23 to $24.12 per quarter and recycling pickup go from $5.50 to $8.28 per quarter.

Commercial properties where dumpsters are not used will see one-day-a-week collection of garbage climb from $71.43 to $75 per quarter.

For more than one pickup a week, the cost will go from $160.97 to $169.02 per quarter for each additional pickup.

NORD has created a fund to establish reserves for the long-term closure of landfills and the acquisition of property for new facilities.

New recycling and disposal fees take effect Monday at all North Okanagan Regional District recycling and disposal facilities.

The new fees are designed to encourage separation and increase diversion of recyclable materials.

The most significant change is the establishment of a new category of waste known as “Regulated material.”

Regulated material includes items such as asphalt roofing, yard and garden waste, glass, scrap metal and wood. Customers disposing of mixed loads of refuse containing regulated material will be assessed a tipping fee of $145/tonne as there are separate locations at each site to deposit these materials.

“Regulated materials should not be buried at our sites, but should be placed in the appropriate locations for reuse or recycling.” said recycling and disposal facilities operations manager Dale Danallanko. “Customers can reduce the financial impact of the new fees by securing, sorting and separating loads. Landfill capacity is valuable and we still see customers disposing of cardboard, wood, and metal despite the fact that this material is easily diverted.”

The new fee structure aims to limit the amount of valuable resources being buried.

Customers will also notice an increase in the refuse disposal fee from $63/tonne to $75/tonne.  The minimum charge for refuse disposal will continue to be $3.

Part of the increase in the refuse tipping fee is a result of the NORD board of directors’ decision to enact a closure reserve surcharge. Five dollars per tonne of MSW disposed at all NORD recycling and disposal facilities will be set aside in a closure reserve fund.

Differential tipping fees are designed to encourage sorting and separation of divertible materials and to discourage the disposal of mixed loads.

“We have received feedback from our customers indicating that the disposal fee differential was not enough to justify the time it takes to sort, separate and rescale,” said Danallanko.

Also included in the new fees is a minimum charge of $20 for unsecured loads entering NORD facilities. Recycling and disposal facility customers need to adequately secure loads with a tarp or cargo net to minimize debris falling on highways and roadsides.

Blue Listed Birds of the Okanagan

LEWIS' WOODPECKER - Melanerpes lewis

DESCRIPTION: Length - 10 3/4"; Dark green head and back with red face patch and dark pink belly, with gray collar and breast.

NORTH AMERICAN RANGE: In Canada is only found in B.C. where it breeds in the southern interior; Breeds in the U.S. Northwest; Winters in California, Arizona and New Mexico. Global population may have declined by more than half in the last 40 years.

OKANAGAN STATUS: Special Concern. Loss of habitat resulting from deforestation is the primary reason for decline in numbers. Most prominent in the south Okanagan.

AMERICAN AVOCET - Recurvirostra americana

DESCRIPTION: Length - 18"; tall, elegant shorebird; white and black body; rusty head and neck; long, slightly upturned bill; long, slender, blue-grey legs.

NORTH AMERICAN RANGE: Breeds in southern Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and a few isolated pockets in B.C.; also breeds in western U.S.; winters along U.S. Gulf coast, California and in Mexico. Favorite habitats include prairie sloughs and alkiline-based ponds and lakes. Global population overall is quite healthy and stable.

OKANAGAN STATUS: Threatened; While the N.A. population is relatively stable, the number of breeding Avocets in the Okanagan has taken a large hit. Due to the expansion of the Kelowna landfill at Alki Lake, the number of Avocets returning to nest has been steadily declining. Other nesting sites in B.C.'s southern interior include the Kamloops, Creston and Cranbrook areas.

SHORT-EARED OWL - Asio flammeus

DESCRIPTION: Length 15 inches; Tawny owl with bold breast streaking, pale belly; short ear tufts often unnoticable; roosts on fence posts or on the ground in daylight.

NORTH AMERICAN RANGE: Breeds in Northern Canadian territories and Alaska, Quebec, Maritimes, S. Ontario, southern Prairies, B.C. Interior; Winters in continental U.S.; Year-round in N.W. U.S., southern Prairies and B.C. Southern Interior.

OKANAGAN STATUS: Special Concern - loss of grassland habitat has led to a decline in numbers of the Short-eared Owl.

Red Listed Birds of the Okanagan

BURROWING OWL - Athene cunicularia

DESCRIPTION: Length 9 1/2", long legs, adult brown, with bold barring and spotting, calls include soft coo-cooo.

NORTH AMERICAN RANGE: Breeds in U.S. from Great Plains states westward; also breeds in S.E. Alberta, S.W. Saskatchewan, and pockets along southern Sask., Manitoba border; also found in Mexico.

OKANAGAN STATUS: Virtually extripated. Burrowing Owls used to be found nesting in the south Okanagan. Today, there are few to none of these birds remaining in the valley. However, breeding programs in nearby Kamloops and efforts to establish national parks in both the south and north Okanagan are steps to hopefully re-introducing Burrowing Owls to the B.C. southern interior, in the future.

http://www.lakecountryenv.org/animal.php

Castanet.net Photo shows banned materials

To Regional District of Central Okanagan Chair Robert Hobson

I find it totally unacceptable that I will be subsidizing the Traders Cove transfer station at $48 per year, and that there is an INCREASE in garbage disposal fees of $127 per year this year.

In the minutes of the meetings it says Traders Cove would want to use Sugar Loaf if the fees were not the same for both Traders and Sugar Loaf, but I disagree. If there was a reason Traders would want to use Sugar Loaf, the Regional District has the power to do anything it wants about where people take their garbage. In my eyes this is NOT an excuse for me to be subsidizing Traders Cove.

I don’t find it acceptable at all that my garbage disposal bill would double or triple, but would find it acceptable if the cost increased in relation to inflation. I would like it clarified just how the Regional District feels this increase is acceptable?

I would like clarification as to why the old garbage dump at Sugar Loaf cannot be reopened? As I understand the Sugar Loaf garbage dump only closed due to bears. Is that true, or were there other reasons? What were other reasons, if any?

North Westsider

After the doubling of household waste collection fees last year, West Kelowna residents are getting a break this year.

Council approved a $214.20 annual fee for solid waste collection in 2010, compared to total charges in 2009 which amounted to $235.

The $20.80 reduction can be attributed to the elimination of a one-time $9.75 cart rollout fee, a drop in the solid waste collection charge from $15.18 to $11.52 and a reduction in the recycling levy from $32.08 last year to $24.68 this year.

With some recyclables making more money on the commodities market a return is expected on some products to offset the costs of running the recycling program in the Central Okanagan, which West Kelowna participates in.

The regional district, which administers the recycling program, is passing the break onto consumers.

The remainder of the waste collection bill consists of several charges that remain unchanged.

Source Castanet.net May 3, 2010

Taxpayers will be paying more for waste disposal on the Westside, while fewer days of service will be offered to those residents needing to haul away excess household waste.

The Westside landfill is slated to close in June or July and the Central Okanagan Regional District will set up a waste transfer centre in its place for those residents looking to dispose of garbage that is too big to be hauled off through the weekly curbside collection system.

The creation of the transfer station will save Westside residents from clogging Kelowna streets and spewing carbon emissions en route to the Glenmore landfill in Kelowna, the only remaining dump in the region.

To cover the costs of the new transfer centre, the regional district will charge a $26 transfer tax to all Westside homeowners.

Regional district spokesman Bruce Smith said the parcel tax is necessary because the regional district will lose revenue and take on new expenses after the landfill closes.

“The only funding source for that centre is tipping fees. However, there’s no way the tipping fees can sustain the operation,” said Smith.

“That’s because there are no longer any commercial loads and therefore none of the commercial revenue that had previously been available to cover costs of the operation of the landfill or the new (transfer) centre. All that revenue has gone to Glenmore.”

In addition to the loss in commercial revenue, the regional district must also now pay to transport large bins of waste over to Glenmore.

Smith mentioned that the parcel tax could be adjusted up or down next year, depending on how well the transfer station is used.

“Once we have a full year’s worth of indication of actual use and revenue from the new centre that tax could be adjusted down or conversely up if the costs weren’t being covered. But if a surplus exists at the end of the year, it would be our intention to reduce the parcel tax.”

In addition to the parcel tax, residents taking household waste to the Westside transfer station will be charged a $6 tipping fee for loads under 250 kilograms. Yard waste and recycling loads can be dropped off for free.

The on-site disposal fee at the transfer station is prorated and is designed to cover the costs that the City of Kelowna will charge the large trucks hauling bulk waste over to the Glenmore landfill. The trucks will be charged $55 per tonne.

In addition to the increased costs, the transfer station will be open only four days per week, unlike the current landfill, which can be accessed seven days per week.

Smith said the Westside transfer station would be open Friday through Monday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

But if residents want it open more days per week, they will be welcome to make that recommendation to the regional district.

“There’s a cost of about $40,000 per year to open another day per week,” he said.

The regional district will hold an open house on the closure of the Westside landfill and the opening of the new transfer station. The input and information session is being held at the Mount Boucherie community portable, April 20 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

jluciw "at" kelownacapnews.com

A team of garbage inspectors will soon be hitting the streets looking inside yard waste and recycling carts checking for contaminants- and tagging carts with contamination to make sure they’re not picked up. It’s the latest effort by the Regional Waste Reduction Office to help stem a contamination problem that’s costing taxpayers big bucks.

“It’s costing everyone a big chunk of money to sort through the yard waste and recyclables to get the garbage out,” says Regional Waste Reduction Manager Peter Rotheisler. ”At the recycling sorting facility, the monthly charge to remove non-recyclables from the material picked up at the curb can hit $10,000. And removing contaminants from yard waste collected at the curb and delivered to the Glenmore landfill is now costing the region approximately $20,000 per month. These expenses are really unnecessary if residents paid closer attention to what they’re putting into their curbside yard waste and recycling containers.”

Rotheisler adds the contaminants showing up in the yard waste stream are things like, but not limited to plastic bags, cardboard, scrap metal and garbage. “All these items have to be removed by hand because the yard waste is used to make Glenmore Grow, a composting material sold at the landfill. It doesn’t take much contamination to really ruin the final product.”

As for contaminants in the recycling stream, Rotheisler says that’s just about anything, including garbage, glass, yard waste and even bags of dirty diapers, items that are obviously not considered recycling.

Rotheisler says those people who continue to contaminate their yard waste and recyclables could eventually have their collection service suspended-until they can prove they can use the system properly.

For more information visit the Automated Cart System, or Recycling and Yard Waste Collection webpages or call the Regional Waste Reduction Office, at 250.469.6250.

(April 14, 2010) Regional District of Central Okanagan (What's New)

April 14, 2010 meeting at Killiney Beach Hall for North Westside Road

RESULTS OF THE MEETING AT KILLINEY HALL APRIL 14, 2010 IN REGARDS TO WASTE MANAGEMENT

Waste Reduction Manager Peter Rotheisler confirmed at this meeting that Westside Road Sugar Loaf Transfer Station users and Traders Cove transfer station users will be paying $167 per year utility bill, plus the $50 some odd dollars on their property taxes for garbage disposal.

If you wish you can contact Waste Reduction Manager Peter Rotheisler, here is his email address.  He is not a bad guy to talk to unlike the past Managers, as we found out so far.  What happens over the long term remains to be seen.  He is willing to listen and investigate other options he told us.  One option being compacting the garbage and reducing the number of trips the truck has to haul the garbage between Sugar Loaf and the Glenmore Landfill.  He also said that other cities are using card lock systems and that we could look at that option as well.  He said he would look at the option of having bins nearer to subdivisions maybe with a cardlock or something. He said he agrees that the waste does not need to be monitored and that the cost of monitoring the waste is a large part of the cost. We asked about reopening the old landfill above Sugar Loaf transfer station and he said that landfills are very expensive because they need to install a liner to catch any leachate as well as when the landfill eventually closes, they have to monitor the gases and environmental impact after closure for 20 years.

After the meeting we sent Peter Rotheisler links to the crown land contract for Sugar Loaf regarding leasing cost of $1.00 per year saying if we need more land that land is cheap, a link to the contracts to manage and haul garbage at Sugar Loaf transfer station, photos of the garbage and other links you can find on this website, and so that Peter is well informed of what has been done in the past before he started working for RDCO as Waste Reduction Manager in 2009 maybe it was?  Peter has not been working as Waste Reduction Manager at RDCO very long.

We sent Peter this link of the mattresses laying on the side of the road all winter 2009 plus photos of the garbage sitting in front of the locked gate to the transfer station.

We sent him photos of a bin system that was in use at La Casa and as well as Fintry Provincial Parks garbage bin system and the bin system at the coast.  These bins at La Casa were moved across the road now, and there are more than just two bins there now as well.  The current bins do not have a fence around them anymore either.

Coast recycling bins

Coast garbage bins

Coast truck to haul the garbage

This is where a garbage bin could be placed for Valley of the Sun which is the pullout at the top of the hill at Valley of the Sun.  There is hydro there ... also look at that spot of garbage in the bottom photo at this same Valley of the Sun location.  This pullout could use a garbage can.

We sent Peter this link showing the number of users at Sugar Loaf transfer station over the years., the revenue and expenses over the years looking at it this way.

Sugar Loaf Revenue  (number of properties contributing to Sugar Loaf according to RDCO in the past)
2002 = 626 properties x $40 utility bill + $??? property tax = $
2003 = 632 properties x $40 utility bill + $??? property tax = $
2004 = 642 properties x $40 utility bill + $39.67 property tax = $51,148
2005 = 655 properties x $40 utility bill + $39.11 property tax = $51,817
2006 = 707 properties x $40 utility bill + $38.56 property tax = $55,542
2007 = 737 properties x $40 utility bill + $41.43 property tax = $60,014
2008 = 761 properties x $40 utility bill + $51.95 property tax = $69,974
2009 = 784 properties x $40 utility bill + $51.95 property tax = $72,089

These are the charges on the rural property tax bill from 2004 - 2009
2004 $39.67
2005 $39.11
2006 $38.56
2007 $41.43
2008 $51.95
2009 $51.95

These are actual charges for the hauling fees at Sugar Loaf transfer station
2002 $14,270
2003 $15,540
2004 $17,574
2005 $25,698
2006 $23,352
2007 $28,857
2008 $36,669

Total expenses at Sugar Loaf for each year were:
2002  $30,836
2003  $31,968
2004  $43,691
2005  $42,411
2006  $38,479
2007  $55,014 diff of $16,535 from year before
2008  $68,285 diff of $13,271 from year before

One link we sent Peter was to investigate how we might be able to produce a plastic beam or log with garbage and make money from our garbage instead of it costing us money, as there is a company called Ark Recycling in Ireland claiming to have a system that they can produce a plastic lumber, log or beam with pure unadulterated garbage.  Here is the link if you wish to read about it.

Plastic Lumber

2. Electoral area residents will pay the same user fee and parcel tax for basic waste management related services whether they are on curbside collection or transfer station service.

3. Due to the $48 difference in projected user fees between transfer stations, fees were going to have to be blended to prevent residents from the Traders Cove transfer station (more expensive) changing to the NOWESI Transfer Station (less expensive), which would have further increased the difference in cost.

March 11, 2010 Regional Board Agenda
Item 3.1 Solid Waste Management Regulation Amendment Bylaw.pdf

Higher fees for disposing of trash are being dumped on in the North Westside Road area.

The Central Okanagan Regional District has approved its 2010 budget, including increasing user fees for the waste transfer station from $40 to $167 a year.

“That’s a 317 per cent increase. That’s pretty exorbitant,” said Allastair Fergusson, North Westside Ratepayers Association vice-president.

“I understand times are tough and (recycling commodity) prices are down, but we shouldn’t be hit with all of this at once.”

CORD has previously indicated the increase is a result of higher costs for labour, hauling, equipment rental and tipping fees at the Kelowna landfill, where the transfer station waste is taken.

Jim Edgson, North Westside director, also believes the substantial hike is a result of small, annual adjustments not occurring since 2002.

“We’ve been paying way less than we should for seven years,” he said.

“That $40 did not represent reality. We would be paying significantly more if we were in an urban setting.”

Edgson says he will be attempting to keep costs down and is investigating incremental increases on an annual basis to avoid large hikes in the future.

While some residents may consider illegally dumping their trash in the woods to avoid the $167, they will be paying the fee whether they use the transfer station or not.

“They put it on your taxes if you don’t pay. It’s really not a user fee. You can’t opt out,” said Fergusson.

In terms of CORD’s overall 2010 budget, a home assessed at $440,000 in the North Westside area will see its taxes rise by about $52.48.

That reflects increased contributions for electoral area planning, building inspection, fire prevention and Okanagan Regional Library.

“The regional district financial plan is sensitive to the continued concern about the economic recovery,” said chairman Robert Hobson in a release.

“In that regard, we’ve agreed to hold the line on requisitions for funding park legacy reserves, keeping them at last year’s level which is half the previously agreed upon rate.”

Fergusson claims his property taxes have tripled over nine years.

“And we have no more services now than we did then,” he said.

Residents living on the westside of Okanagan Lake will have several opportunities to learn more about the future plans for services at the Westside Landfill.

Communications Coordinator Bruce Smith says five public information open houses are planned during April to bring residents up to date as the Regional District progresses on developing a temporary convenience solid waste disposal and recycling centre at the site along Asquith Road.

"The landfill’s active life is nearing an end and we plan to stop burying garbage by mid-year. At that point we’ll continue to offer an outdoor, residential drop-off for self-hauled garbage, recycling, yard waste, wood waste and appliances and will be open four days each week, which reflects customer use for disposal service," says Smith.

He says instead of burying the garbage in the landfill, once it’s closed they will be transporting garbage and yard waste for disposal at the Glenmore Landfill which will be the only active landfill in the Central Okanagan.

The sessions will also update residents on the costs associated with operating the temporary Westside Residential Waste Disposal and Recycling Centre for the convenience of people living in West Kelowna, Peachland, Central Okanagan West Electoral Area and Westbank First Nation reserves.

"As well, those attending will learn about what the landfill will look like when it is closed and the Regional District’s ongoing responsibilities for environmental monitoring. They’ll also have the opportunity to make suggestions about possible future uses for the landfill site and provide feedback on options for the Residential Waste Disposal and Recycling Centre operations."

Information Open Houses are scheduled for:

•Monday, April 12 in Peachland at the Peachland Recreation Centre, 4450 6th Street – 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

•Tuesday, April 13 in West Kelowna at the Westbank Lions Hall, 2466 Main Street – 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. (a second meeting date and location will be scheduled and advertised)

•Wednesday, April 14 at Killiney Beach Community Hall, 514 Udell Road – 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

•Thursday, April 22 at Wilson Landing Fire Hall, 2396 Westside Road – 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

“Those attending the open houses will have the opportunity to fill out a questionnaire and enter a draw to win a free backyard composter. Reports and information regarding the meetings will also be available on the Westside Landfill Closure page of the Regional District website.”

Once this pre-closure phase is complete, a final closure plan must approved by the Ministry of Environment.

A break on landfill tipping fees has been extended to West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation and Peachland residents, courtesy of the City of Kelowna.

The move ensures rates for self-hauled household garbage won’t increase on the Westside this year when the Westside landfill closes.

Currently all self-hauled waste collected at the landfill is charged $28.70 per tonne or $6 per load for loads less than 250 kilograms. It’s the same rate charged to Kelowna residents who need to take their garbage to the city’s Glenmore landfill.

Kelowna council voted this week to keep all rates the same.

But council could have indirectly doubled the rates on Westside residents this year.

The fee increases were being considered because the Westside landfill must close later this year.

When that happens a transfer station will open at the Asquith Road site and from there garbage will be shipped in bulk to the Glenmore landfill.

The City of Kelowna had considered charging the bulk deliveries from the Westside a fee of $55 per tonne as they entered the Glenmore dump.

In turn, that rate would have been passed on to residents using the transfer station, doubling the self-haul rate to $12.

When the Central Okanagan Regional District, which will operate the transfer station, caught wind of the increase, it asked the city to reconsider its decision.

Regional district waste reduction supervisor Peter Rotheisler told Kelowna that it simply didn’t make sense to impose a higher rate on the Westside landfill because Peachland, West Kelowna and Westbank First Nation residents would simply drive through the city to take advantage of the $6 rate in Kelowna.

“The (Westside) transfer station benefits the city in numerous ways, but primarily it reduces the amount of traffic travelling through the city, assuming (Westsiders) would come through Kelowna to get to the Glenmore landfill if there wasn’t a Westside transfer station.”

Rotheisler also pointed out that the Glenmore landfill is not set up to take a large influx of new traffic, which was one of the reasons behind setting up a Westside transfer station to begin with.

“So, why would (Kelowna) charge us for doing them a favour and bringing in one load and reducing the impact on their streets?” asked Rotheisler.

“We want to keep things as equal as possible so we don’t encourage people to go outside of the region to drop off garbage.”

The other possible outcome of higher self-haul user fees could have been illegal dumping, said Rotheisler.

“We want to prevent that too.”

jluciw "at"kelownacapnews.com

RDCO letter re:

raising deposits on beverage containers.

Carol is writing a letter to Jen for year end regarding raising minimum deposit for beverage containers.

http://www.bcproductstewardship.org/assets/pdfs/meetingminutes/071031_BCPSC_Minutes.pdf

---------------------------------------------------

BRITISH COLUMBIA PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL
Notes of meeting held at RCBC Conference on June 25th 2008

http://www.bcproductstewardship.org/assets/pdfs/meetingminutes/080625_BCPSC_Minutes.pdf

West Kelowna has failed in its attempt to move a future transfer station off the Central Okanagan Regional District’s Westside landfill site on Asquith Road.

Municipal staff confirmed for council this week what regional district staff had already said last month—there is no other location for a transfer station at this time.

So, West Kelowna council voted Tuesday afternoon to accept the regional district’s assessment and build an open-air transfer station at the existing site at a cost of $550,000. Annual operating fees would total $925,000.

Council would not consider building a proposed $2.8 million enclosed facility, however, saying it still hoped the transfer station could be moved to a different location at some time in the future.

Mayor Doug Findlater commented this week that the regional board should never have given permission for neighbourhoods to be built around the landfill. Since adjacent subdivisions were permitted, the area is no longer well suited for waste collection operations of any kind.

“It really is, at this point, an inappropriate site for both a landfill and a transfer station and people have put up with a lot of stuff,” said Findlater. “It’s going to be there for some time but we’d like to get it out of there in the long term.”

Council also voted 4-3 on Tuesday afternoon to increase tipping fees to $75 per tonne or between $8 and $9 per load of residential garbage under 250 kilograms and to charge a parcel tax of $22 to all residents living in West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation, Peachland and the Central Okanagan West rural area.

Council debated for more than a half-hour whether the costs of operating the transfer station should be borne by higher user fees or subsidized more through parcel taxation.

In the end however, the debate seemed moot because on Thursday afternoon, when the Kelowna-led regional board discussed the matter, it shot down those costs for now.

Kelowna Mayor Sharon Shepherd said user fees and parcel taxes should be discussed as part of upcoming regional district budget deliberations.

Operation of the Westside facility has also been a bone of contention for West Kelowna and council voted Tuesday to have its staff enter into negotiations with regional district staff to place the transfer station in municipal hands.

However, Shepherd felt the board should be doing due diligence first and investigating all possible options for the facility’s operations, not just one alternative.

“There’s more than just West Kelowna or the regional district involved in the service. We should just direct staff to work with all the service providers. You guys sort it out and report back to us whatever the outcome of that,” she stated.

Other partners in the service are Peachland and Westbank First Nation.

Findlater did note however that the regional district asked West Kelowna to take on the landfill and transfer station more than a year ago, but the municipality was still in transition from rural status and didn’t have qualified engineering staff at the time.

“I came under quite a bit of pressure on that, but we just couldn’t do it.”

As for the location, Peachland Mayor Keith Fielding felt the Westside landfill site should be identified as the permanent location for the transfer station.

Findlater responded abruptly.

“We’ll fight it all the way.”

The entire board was finally able to reach consensus on the transfer station with all parties agreeing to explore all future management options, continue to look for alternate sites and to defer operational costs to budget deliberations.

The transfer station will accept recycling, yard waste and residential self-haul waste, which is to be transported to the Glenmore landfill site. The Westside landfill site is due to close by the middle of this year, because it is past its full capacity. Kelowna has said it will not accept residential self-haul waste at the Glenmore landfill from people living outside its boundaries, making the transfer station a necessity.

jluciw 'at' kelownacapnews.com

A North Westside official expects some residents may want to trash higher garbage disposal fees.

The Central Okanagan Regional District is considering increasing the rate for the waste transfer station from $40 to $131 a year in 2010.

“I had a heart attack when I initially saw that,” said director Jim Edgson.

“There will probably be some push back on this because of the suddenness of the increase.”

Staff indicates the hike is necessary because the cost of labour, hauling rates, equipment rental and tipping fees at the Kelowna landfill has climbed 275 per cent in the last seven years — the last time fees changed.

“The $40 hasn’t reflected the actual cost of the service,” said Edgson.

Edgson’s primary concern, though, is that residents are facing one significant increase instead of annual incremental adjustments since 2002.

“As the costs for the service go up, they should be brought up regularly through increased fees,” he said, adding that may be more acceptable for residents.

Edgson has asked staff to look at the possibility of changing the fee structure more often.

He also wants CORD to look at the possibility of converting the North Westside’s garbage into electricity instead of shipping it to the landfill in Kelowna.

He believes such a model would also help provide a more consistent power source to the area on the west side of Okanagan Lake.

“If we can take our garbage and turn it into a clean resource, we should take a serious look at it,” he said.

Any approval of changes in the rates would be required prior to the regional district board giving final adoption to the 2010 budget March 26.

It’s been said that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, but I fear that the cost of this lube job is going to soak taxpayers if it’s allowed to go ahead.

I have heard, for about the fifth time now, suggestions that the Central Okanagan Regional District should build a transfer station somewhere away from the current Westside landfill site after the dump closes within the next several months.

Bad idea.

The Shannon Lake Neighbourhood Association is the latest to enter the fray, with its argument that Shannon Lake Road is not designed to accommodate the heavy truck traffic that would be required to move waste from a transfer station out to the Glenmore landfill.

The transfer site should be located in an industrial park or a gravel pit, somewhere close to the highway, an association spokesperson told council this week.

The traffic could then wear out the highway instead of Shannon Lake Road, the man said.

“The dump, we would love to see it go. It has a very big impact on our neighbourhood.”

I can’t argue with him there, just as I’m sure Shannon Lake residents can’t argue that dump trucks have been using Shannon Lake Road for decades. Just as they can’t argue against the fact they knew or should have known the landfill was there before they moved into the neighbourhood.

Unfortunately, Mayor Doug Findlater added more grease to the situation by entertaining the idea.

The mayor began by explaining that council appropriately turned down a recent proposal to buy a $3.7 million property on Gellatly Road, for what would have amounted to a parking lot for the adjacent Gellatly Nut Farm. The cost of financing such a purchase would amount to a $20 property tax increase per household, he noted.

However, the mayor then said that perhaps West Kelowna would be better off spending $4 million on a property that’s suitable in the industrial park for a proposed transfer station.

No, it wouldn’t.

I don’t fault Findlater for thinking out loud, but let’s not lead Shannon Lake residents down a garden path.

West Kelowna can’t afford pie-in-the-sky ideas when it still hasn’t properly addressed other issues like policing, transit service and road maintenance, all of which are bigger and more costly priorities that should be addressed first.

Let’s also not forget that after a transfer station property is purchased, an enclosed facility would then need to be built or an existing building would need to be retrofitted, adding to the already expensive proposition.

If the facility is not enclosed, the smell and unsightliness of the whole operation would just be a problem for another part of town and this cycle would start all over again and more money would be wasted.

Also, remember that dumping fees are likely to jump dramatically over the next few years as is, just to cover the operational costs of a transfer station because materials will need to be shipped over the bridge to the only remaining landfill in the region.

So, imagine asking residents to pay $30 to dump a load of garbage at the transfer station to cover operations, then charging them $20 more per year on their taxes for capital costs. Add to that the $50 increase council would need to tag on for other needs, like bolstering reserves.

All this would come on the heels of a doubling in the cost of curbside garbage collection this year.

I have said it before and I’ll say it again, the appropriate solution is for the regional district, which currently owns and operates the site, to build a transfer station at the existing location.

If there’s money now to build an enclosed station, then do it. If not, save so it can be enclosed later. But don’t go dumping more tax money into the purchase of another property when the site that exists now was designed to accomplish the same purpose.Besides, the real issue these residents have with the dump is how the regional district is managing it.

In other words, less money would be better spent on greasing the wheels of the operation the Westside already has.

Jason Luciw is the Capital News Westside reporter

Please note that these are RDCO regulations and bag amounts cannot be combined over any period. Bag tags for extra bags are available for $2 each.  For more information about Bulky Item Collection, recyclable items, Vernon or Kelowna recycle depots, Hazardous Waste Disposal, Yard Waste and any other waste disposal questions please see Shelley at the transfer station!

And apparently the attendant is enforcing the 2 bag limit too!

Source June 2009 North Westside Road Communities News

The Regional District sent a crew out to cleanup this mess on Sugarloaf Mountain, up behind the Transfer Station after a local resident sent an email after going for a Sunday drive. 

This annual local road cleanup, in conjunction with Central Okanagan's Annual Community Clean Up, has been completed for another year. Volunteers from La Casa to Westshore Estates pickup the litter along Westside Road.

This year there were a total of seventy-four bags of garbage, countless recyclable bottles & cans, five tires and approximately six hundred pounds of metal picked up from along Westside Road by thirty-seven volunteers who spent countless hours picking up after others.

All types of garbage is picked up in this operation. The majority of the garbage is cigarette packages, bottles and cans thrown from passing vehicles and garbage blown from unsecure loads on their way to the transfer station.  A big round of appreciation to those who give their time to climb up and down the banks to clean up the garbage left by others.

Source Westside Road Community News June 2009

Oh and don't forget the bags full of marijuana trimmings, soil, and the garbage from used marijuana growing products lol.

Looks like the metal business really isn't that profitable if they found that much metal!

Wonder how many couches, bed mattresses, fridges, and tv's they found?

The Regional Board has received information about possible rate increases for the Traders Cove and North Westside Road transfer stations. Neither the $40 North Westside, nor the $52 Traders Cove user fees have been adjusted in at least seven years. In order to cover the costs of providing the service, it’s proposed the North Westside rate rise to $131 in 2010 while the rate for Traders Cove would be adjusted to $179. Prior to the 2010 budget discussions, Traders Cove users will be consulted whether they would prefer to change to the higher level of service provided by the curbside Automated Waste Collection Program for an approximate cost of almost $179. The cost of labour at the two transfer stations, hauling rates and tipping fees for disposal at the Glenmore Landfill and equipment rental rates have increased approximately 275% in the last seven years.

Source: Highlights of the Regional Board Meeting - Dec 14, 2009

Strata Manager has been presented with waste management options including curbside collection, service using existing transfer stations and service using a new Transfer Station at La Casa.

 http://www.regionaldistrict.com/docs/boards_committees/gov/agnd/2009/09_11_12/Item 6.1 Quarterly Program Measures Report.pdf

November 12, 2009 Regional District of Central Okanagan Governance and Services Committee Agenda

Item 6.2 Outline of 2010 Budget Initiatives.pdf

Engineering

Landfill: Landfill closure costs for consultant and closure works $400k. Operating and capital costs need to be determined. Transfer Station construction and operation estimated at $400k to $1 m. Will require tax subsidy to cover operational costs due to reduced tipping fees, or alternatively, complete closure and trucking to Glenmore landfill. 1.75% Contract cost increase due to HST ($10k).

• Solid Waste Management: Decrease to budget $90k re: automated collection roll out (staging, mobilization, staffing, marketing (approx $190k, however, there was also $100k credit for cart purchases from 2008 which offset the 2009 costs, netting a $90k change to the 2010 budget).

• Solid Waste Collection: 1.75% Contract cost increase due to HST ($3.5k)

• Recycling: 1.75% Contract cost increase due to HST ($30k)

• Septage Facility: Increased costs for tipping fees of biosolids. Report is coming to Board. Biosolids study $50k carryover from 2009.

July 9, 2009 - Governance & Services Committee Meeting Minutes

3. Delegation

3.1 Scott GambleJCH2M Hill Consultants - re: Westside Landfill Conceptual Closure Plan and the Concept of a Transfer Station
Scott Gamble provided an update on the Westside Landfill closure plan and transfer station including:

• Background information for landfill site, as well as outlining site users.

• As of June 1, 2009 the landfill site only accepts material from residents. Commercial garbage goes to the Glenmore Landfill.

• Site closure to occur in late 2009. Final closure work to be completed during 2010/2011.

• Detail engineering for landfill cap still needs to be completed.

• End use plan reviewed. The revised closure plan suggests use as a low maintenance community/regional park with vegetation. Potential walking trails and non-obtrusive interpretive displays.

• Closure fund is not sufficient to cover incremental costs of site redevelopment for recreational or park use.

• Transfer station 'drivers' were reviewed including: Phase 1 consultation and resident surveys in 2008 indicated that residents want continued service on the Westside.

o Status of site redevelopment reviewed:

• Westside landfill is the preferred location

• Two transfer station options are being assessed ie: status quo and an 'enhanced' system (involves replacing existing transfer bin system with an enclosed transfer station

• Business case being developed

o Next steps were reviewed including: completion of business case, final design, formal statement of support from Peachland, WFN and Kelowna, identify final end use plan and any additional funding requirements/sources; finalize detailed closure plan and associated engineering designs.

Discussion:
Transfer stations are often in industrial sites, why have other physical sites not been identified? It is suggested that this is the preferred location due to costs associated with land purchase, engineering, operational controls. West Kelowna staff have expressed approval for the site although West Kelowna Council has not reviewed the issue to date.

Funds have been budgeted for the expansion or improvement to the status quo option for the transfer station.

Is there a process for taking the closure site/transfer station plans to the public?

Once the business case has been completed public consultation will occur. A public consultation strategy has been developed. Staff are waiting for confirmation of management and operation of the transfer station which will be part of the business case.

Consultation will not occur until West Kelowna Council makes a decision if they wish to operate the transfer station or whether it will stay with the Regional District.

Septic tank effluent is no longer disposed of at the landfill. Septage is being taken to Lake Country. Service levels have improved at this facility.

Newsletters continue to be done by Regional District staff.

#GS53/09 EDGSON/FIELDING
THAT the Governance and Services Committee receive for information the conceptual landfill closure plan and transfer station concept design presented by Scott Gamble of CH2M Hill.

CARRIED

 June 22, 2009 Regional District of Central Okanagan Regional Board Minutes

5.3 Regional District of Central Okanagan Security Issuing Bylaw No 1260, 1st, 2nd and 3rd readings and Adoption (All Directors - Unweighted Vote)

BAKER/OPHUS
THAT Regional District of Central Okanagan Security Issuing Bylaw No. 1260, 2009 be given first, second and third readings, reconsidered and adopted this 22nd day of June 2009.

CARRIED

Security Issuing Bylaw 1260

NOW THEREFORE the Regional Board of the Regional District of Central Okanagan in open meeting assembled enacts as follows;

1. The Regional Board hereby consents to financing the debt of the City of Kelowna in the amount of Seven Million Five Hundred Thousand dollars and 00 cents ($7,500,000,00) in accordance with the following terms.

Automated Collection Curbside Carts $7,500,000.00
Term of Issue: 10 years

Regional District of Central Okanagan Regular Board Meeting Minutes - May 25. 2009 (Pg. 3)

4. UNFINISHED BUSINESS

4.1 Options for additional yard waste collection service - One-time Unlimited Yard Waste Collection (spring 2009 - electoral areas) (Electoral Area Directors only)

The Governance and Services Committee recommended that the May 14, 2009 staff report on options for additional yard waste collection service for a one-time unlimited pickup be circulated to municipal Councils and the electoral area directors for consideration.

Director Hayes noted that Joe Rich has been experiencing illegal dumping in recent weeks and requested staff follow-up with him on this issue.

Director Edgson noted there is little concern in his rural area. Most residents have taken care of disposing of their spring yard clean-up.

The question was raised whether the contractor will hold the current pricing for the fall. Staff will need to confirm this information should the Board wish to consider a fall yard waste pickup but it is believed that the price negotiated was
for a spring yard waste pickup based on the amount of yard waste still remaining in residential neighborhoods. It was noted that municipalities will handle their own contract. The District of Lake Country has negotiated with the contractor and the pricing is for the spring pickup only - one-time, one day service.

BAKER/EDGSON
THAT the May 21, 2009 staff report regarding options for additional yard waste collection; a one-time unlimited yard waste collection for Spring 2009 be received.

AND FURTHER THAT staff provide a status report on yard waste pickup in September including landfill line-up comparison and the amount of illegal dumping taking place.

CARRIED

May 25, 2009 Regional District of Central Okanagan Regional Board Minutes

c) Recycling - Commercial Buildings

It was noted that rules for recycling at commercial buildings are different than residential regulations and that much of the material that is banned from the landfill may be being dumped in the landfill. Staff noted this has been an issue where enforcement is difficult as the bins are filled from a variety of establishments before being taken to the landfill.

RULE/HODGE
THAT staff be directed to provide a report to the Governance and Services Committee on commercial recycling options including what is banned from the landfill, how commercial businesses recycle and the options available, commercial recycling costs, as well include how School District No. 23 recycles.

CARRIED

 April 27, 2009 Regional District of Central Okanagan Regular Board Meeting Minutes

8.4 Garbage Collection in Rural Areas (All Directors - Unweighted Vote)

HAYES/EDGSON
THAT the Regional Board direct staff to bring forward a report to the next Governance and Services Committee meeting with regard to the Automated Waste Collection System and options for rural collection to include: concerns raised to date with collection in rural areas, is exclusion possible and what would be the impact for rural areas, including financial and contractual.

CARRIED (Opposed: Ophus, Findlater, Shepherd)

 Item 4.3 Automated Collection Program Update.pdf

Governance and Services Report

Agenda No: 4.3
TO: Governance and Services Committee
FROM: Peter Rotheisler, Waste Reduction Supervisor
DATE: April 2, 2009
SUBJECT: Additional yard waste collection service options and costs

Currently. residents are able to put out yard waste for curbside collection every other week between March and November for a total of 20 collections. This roughly equates to approximately 80 standard (60 litre) yard waste bags of yard waste over the course of a calendar year. In addition, residents are able to self-haul to the Westside and Glenmore Landfills at no cost for tipping, hire a private company to haul any excess yard waste, or compost on their property.

Below are four options for additional yard waste collection. Each option is briefly described with further details included in the accompanying table.

1. Residents bag excess yard waste and place an unlimited quantity of bags curbside for collection. The table below summarizes variations of this option from a payment structure and administrative standpoint.

(click link above to read this portion - the tables - of the Agenda)

It should also be noted that each member municipality in the Central Okanagan Regional District administers their own waste collection contract making it reasonable for an additional yard waste collection service to be offered at a municipal level instead of a regional level.

February 23, 2009 Regional District of Central Okanagan Regular Board Meeting Minutes

Environmental:

6.9 Amendment to the Processing and Marketing of Residential Single-Stream Co-mingled Recyclable Materials contract (All Directors - Weighted Vote)

Waste Reduction Department report of February 18th outlined the need for an amendment to the Single-Stream Commingled Recyclable materials contract which is required due to the global economic downturn in the market for recyclables. Staff noted the original contract was approved in June 2008 but due to the downturn in the market for recyclables the contract does not work for either party as it is currently structured. The benefits of the amendment provides certainty and ensures sustainability of the recycling program and it guarantees 100% of revenue to the Regional District.

It was noted that Regional District is currently storing low grade plastics at Metro's facility as well as the Glenmore landfill. What was the revenue per tonne prior to the collapse of the market? Staff noted it was $113 per metric tonne and now it's $32.00.

BAKER/SHEPHERD
THAT the Regional Board approve the following amendment to the Processing and Marketing of Residential Single-Stream Commingled Recyclable Materials contract with Metro Waste Paper Recovery Inc. (Metro) dated May 2008;

• Appendix C - Form 2: The base Processing Overall Unit Cost is $115.00 per metric tonne. 100% of the Commodity Unit Value will be paid or charged to the Regional District of Central Okanagan. In other words, the Regional District of Central Okanagan pays a fixed processing rate of $115.00 per metric tonne and receives 100% of the revenue generated from the sale of the recyclables.

CARRIED

January 26, 2009 Regional District of Central Okanagan Regular Board Meeting Minutes

Environmental:

6.6 Regional District of Central Okanagan Solid Waste Management Regulation Bylaw No. 1253, 1st, 2nd and 3rd readings and Adoption (All Directors - Unweighted Vote)

The amendments to the Solid Waste Management Regulation bylaw are as a result of the newly automated collection system commencing throughout the Central Okanagan in January 2009. Staff report dated January 21 st highlighted the changes to the bylaw as well as the changes to fees.

SHEPHERD/OPHUS
THAT Regional District of Central Okanagan Solid Waste Management Regulation Bylaw No. 1253, 2009 be given first, second and third readings, reconsidered and adopted this 26th day of January 2009.

CARRIED

MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING - THE OWNERS STRATA PLAN KAS 2428
“LACASA LAKESIDE COTTAGE RESORT”
HELD on May 30, 2009 @ 9 am
at the Best Western Inn, 2402 Hwy 97 N, Kelowna, BC

Gateway was responsible for coordinating the required Crown Loops purchase applications, and until Feb of 2008 had informed Council and all owners that these applications were underway and proceeding.

In March of 2008, as a result of Council’s enquiries, Gateway informed Council that it had missed the required filing deadlines and that our purchase applications had expired. Gateway assured Council that they would take the necessary steps to have the applications re-opened and that they would ensure that the transfers would proceed. Gateway was unable to make this happen, and as a result Council has now taken the necessary steps to retain a Crown Lands Lawyer at Pushor Mitchell, Lawyers in Kelowna (Theresa Arsenault), for the purpose of proceeding with same.

In April 2009, the Westbank First Nations who are in stage four treaty negotiations said NO to our application and thus derailed any hope of our purchasing these lands in the near future. As a result, the Crown is unable to transfer these sections to us.

Consequently, Council has informed Gateway that we will be looking to them to compensate us for damages related to this missed opportunity. Given the time commitment attributed to dealing with the Azura law suit, Council has not had an opportunity to address these damages with Gateway yet, but plans on doing so in the near future. Gateway has indicated that they will accept responsibility for their error, and has acknowledged our expectations.

Despite not being able to purchase these Crown Loops, we have had further discussions with the Crown to see if they would agree to convert our current licenses and/or leases into renewable 30 year leases which will accommodate our intended uses for these lands, such as our storage areas, pools and maintenance facilities. The Crown has indicated that they would consider this request, and that Band consent will likely not be required for same.

As a result, we are currently proceeding to make these requests and hope to report to Owners on the results at our 2009 AGM in October. If the Crown agrees to enter into 30 year renewable leases and further agrees to allow us to use these Crown Loops for our various purposes, there should be no reason why we can’t proceed with the construction of our second pool, storage areas and maintenance compounds in the very near future, possibly even later this year or early next year (subject to the completion of the leases and any re-zoning applications).

We do not know how much money the Crown will want in return for these leases – but we expect that some form of monetary consideration will be required. Once that is determined, we can address this payment and any return of the past Special levy with our Owners and with Gateway.

Until this is determined, however, Council is clearly of the view that it would be premature to return any portion of the Special Levy (approx $130 per lot).” SL 221 inquired if a 30 year lease is the maximum granted. The Chair said it was the standard, however, Council would be seeking a “renewable” 30 year lease, with the intent of extending this period as much as possible.

continued at this link

Found on page 21

b) Crown Land purchase

The Chair, on behalf of council, reported as follows:

“Despite not being able to purchase the two Crown Loops, we have had further discussions with the Crown to see if they would agree to convert our current licenses and/or leases into renewable 30 year leases which will accommodate our intended uses for these lands, such as our storage areas, pools and maintenance facilities. The Crown has indicated that they would be consider this request, and that WestBank Band consent will likely not be required for same.

As a result, we are currently proceeding to make these requests and hope to report to Owners on the results at our 2009 AGM in October. If the Crown agrees to enter into 30 year renewable leases and further agrees to allow us to use these Crown Loops for our various purposes, there is no reason why we can’t proceed with the construction of our second pool, storage areas and maintenance compounds in the very near future, possibly even later this year or early next year subject to the completion of the leases and any re-zoning applications). We do not know how much money the Crown will want in return for these leases – but we expect that some form of monetary consideration will be required. Once that is determined, we can address this payment and any return of the past Special levy with our Owners and with Gateway.

Until this is determined, however, Council is clearly of the view that it would be premature to return any portion of the Special Levy (approx $130 per lot).

We are currently leasing this land at $48,370 for 30 years. We will have to continue to lease as our road loops in phase three and the lower resort both are on Crown Property.”

http://lacasaowners.com/files/5/1/3/0/5/159868-150315/05_30_09_SGM_Minutes_Final.pdf

---------------------------------------------

Found on page 27

j) Update on Waste Transfer Station:

The Chair, on behalf of council, reported as follows:

“Central Okanagan Regional District, local Fintry resident, LaCasa Owners, the Westbank First Nations and even Azura Management are all in agreement that they want to proceed with the waste transfer station to be located at the top of our lower Crown Loop.  To proceed, an environmental study has been requested. Keith Fisher has been managing this project and has met with CORD and insisted that they pick up the entire cost for this study. We are waiting to hear their response, and are hopeful that this will continue to move forward as it is advantageous to our Resort.”

http://lacasaowners.com/files/5/1/3/0/5/159868-150315/05_30_09_SGM_Minutes_Final.pdf

MINUTES ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING THE OWNERS STRATA PLAN KAS 2428
"La Casa Lakeside Resort"
HELD on September 27,2008
Sandman Hotel, 2130 Harvey Avenue, Kelowna, BC

found on page 16

3/4 Vote Resolution # 7

It was MOVED (SL-392) and SECONDED (SL-491) that %Vote Resolution # 7 be approved as follows:

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED as a 3/4 Vote Resolution of the Owners, Strata Plan KAS 2428, LaCasa Lakeside Cottage Resort at the AGM held on September 27, 2008, that the owners approve the use of the Lower Crown Loop as a Waste Transfer Station administered and operated by the Central Okanagan Regional District.

The Rationale for the Resolution is as follows:

Council supports the creation of a waste transfer station In this regard, the Regional District is interested is setting up a manned "Waste Transfer Station" at the top of the lower Crown loop to service the waste transfer needs of LaCasa and the surrounding Fintry area. This station will be properly screened and landscaped, and will ensure cost effective waste management solutions for our Resort for the long term.

There being no discussion on the Motion, by way of a show of voting cards the Motion was CARRIED.

Three hundred six and four sixths (306-4/6) in favour, zero (0) abstentions, one (1) opposed.

------------------

found on page 25

Owner Assistance and Awareness

Garbage Bins:

Strata currently has four garbage bins on site but we need your assistance. These bins are for garbage only - we are consistently finding these bins overflowing because they are being used for cardboard that has not been broken down. We ask all owners to participate and do not use the bins for anything other then garbage. There will be a bin designated solely for cardboard boxes that have been broken down. Please be the example for everyone.

The exciting news is strata is currently in discussions with CORD to get a waste transfer station started for this fall, after it is voted on at the AGM. The transfer station will be handling garbage, recycling, yard waste, and, once a year, large items. Until we are able to vote on this solution, we need your help - thank you

-----------------------

found on page 29

Owner update:

We are currently focusing on several areas that need to be finished this year. We are in communication with Gerry Johnston to finalize our crown loop applications of purchase. Carol Suhan from CORD is finalizing the details for the waste transfer station. Jennifer Taylor is finalizing the registration of street names at LaCasa for fire safety purposes. Hilary Hettinga is in discussions regarding possible solutions to water utilities issues at LaCasa; Ewen Stewart, Dave Osmond, and the rest of the Utilities Committee are diligently assessing water and sewage management options for future.

GATEWAY PROPERTY MANAGEMENT MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
THE OWNERS STRATA PLAN KAS 2428
"LACASA LAKESIDE COTIAGE RESORT"
HELD on December 2, 2006 at the Grand Hotel, 1310 Water Street Kelowna, Be

found on page 18

PURCHASE OF ROAD LOOPS & CROWN GRANT:

The official document was executed by two Strata Council members and the only outstanding item is the survey required by the government. We have been in discussions with the surveyor, Morgan Stewart, and it is his advice that these should be completed fairly soon. Brian Wills is assisting us with keeping the pressure on Mr. Stewart to get this work completed. We are aware that surveyors are extremely busy these days and the only way we will get this completed is with daily pressure - thank you to Brian Wills for his assistance. To complete this project will require the Owners to pass a Resolution for the easement that will be registered on the title so unless this document is completed in the next week, we will have to convene a Special General Meeting early in 2007 to formally complete this arrangement. The easement for the adjacent property (Roy's) has been in effect since the land was originally subdivided. The new document is really just a formalization of an existing easement, required by the Ministry of Land & Water.

We are aware that Owners approved this process by earlier special resolutions however the Registrar at the Land Title Office will not allow the documents to be registered on title unless the resolution was passed not more than 60 days prior to the registration - that time has long passed. As well, we feel that Owners should be given the actual document and wording to be filed on the common property title for the Strata· Corporation. It is our hope that this can be completed early in 2007.



found on page 20

OTHER ISSUES TO ADDRESS:

b) Garbage Transfer Station - this discussion is ongoing with the Regional District and may require a 3/4 vote of owners at a future Special General Meeting. An update will be provided at the Annual General Meeting.

Source of above copied from page 10 at the link below

A Primer on Regional Districts in BC Government of BC website

--------------------

In 2007 North Westside Road properties paid $41.43 on their property taxes for the Westside Landfill, plus a $40.00 utility bill for Sugar Loaf Transfer Station. 

$40.00 utility bill plus $41.43 on the property tax x 747 properties = $60,828

so why is there $75,266 revenue reported to us in the accounts??  It is beyond comprehension without further information.

If you take the $75,266 revenue from 2007 for Sugar Loaf Transfer Station and divide that by 747 paying properties of the Sugar Loaf transfer station = $101 each property paid in total in 2007 for garbage service and we know that properties only paid $81.43 in total in 2007 for garbage service.

Two large waste collection corporations operating in Central Vancouver Island were using contracts that "abused" their dominant position in the market, says the Competition Bureau. The agency said that Waste Management of Canada Corporation and Waste Services Inc., which is contracted by the City of Nanaimo and Regional District of Nanaimo, used long-term contracts that locked in customers and included similar, and "highly restrictive," terms such as automatic renewal clauses, significant penalties for early contract termination and rights of first refusal. The bureau said the contracts meant higher prices for businesses and ...

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-202148429.html

2004 Highlights Regional District of Central Okanagan Waste Reduction Office page 9

In partnership with the Regional Districts of North Okanagan, Okanagan Similkameen and Thompson Nicola, a Disposal Alternatives Feasibility study was completed. The report concluded that the most feasible option for Okanagan garbage disposal in the long-term will be to export waste to the Thompson-Nicola region.

This year there were a total of seventy-four bags of garbage, countless recyclable bottles & cans, five tires and approximately six hundred pounds of metal picked up from along Westside Road by thirty-seven volunteers who spent countless hours picking up after others. All types of garbage is picked up in this operation. The majority of the garbage is cigarette packages, bottles and cans thrown from passing vehicles and garbage blown from unsecure loads on their way to the transfer station.

A big round of appreciation to those who give their time to climb up and down the banks to clean up the garbage left by others.

-----------------

SUGARLOAF CLEANUP

The Regional District sent a crew out to cleanup this mess on Sugarloaf Mountain, up behind the Transfer Station after a local resident sent an email after going for a Sunday drive. Unfortunately people are continually dumping in our forests.

Source:  North Westside Road Communities Association June 2009 Newsletter (page 5)

Regional District of Central Okanagan 2009 - 2013 Financial Plan (116 pages)

Financial Plans for all years

The Regional District is moving another step closer to closing the Westside Sanitary Landfill site off Alexandria Way.

As of Monday, June 1st, the Westside Landfill will no longer accept any materials collected by commercial haulers. Instead, commercial customers must go to the City of Kelowna Glenmore Landfill (out by the Kelowna airport) to dispose of any garbage, construction and demolition, yard waste and other materials.

Communications Coordinator Bruce Smith says, “This new diversion of waste only affects commercial operators and businesses and does not impact residential self-haul waste. Residents may continue to drop off their solid waste at the Westside Landfill location.”

“Earlier this year” Smith says, “as we started moving toward closing the Westside Landfill, we began diverting all large commercial haulers to the City’s Glenmore Landfill site. And in March, as the new curbside automated waste program began in the District of West Kelowna and Peachland, all of that material has also been going to the Glenmore Landfill for disposal.”

Smith says, “The Regional District continues to work on a main plan that will guide us in closing the Westside Landfill. We anticipate that we will reach our final elevation and grade later this summer or during the fall, at which time we will no longer accept materials to be buried within the landfill, located just off Asquith Road in West Kelowna. We anticipate some level of residential drop off service will continue for at least a year or two at the Westside Landfill, to allow the City of Kelowna to make adjustments to handle the additional traffic at its landfill site off Glenmore Road.”

The Regional District recently received a draft Concept Closure Plan that will be considered by the Regional Board in the coming weeks. It’s anticipated a presentation will also be made on this plan to the District of West Kelowna Council and then a Public Information meeting will be scheduled to advise the greater community of the plan contents, possible future services and associated costs.

In order to meet current Ministry of Environment requirements, including possible landscaping, allowable uses and gas and groundwater monitoring of the site for at least 25 years after it is closed, a consultant is expected to be contracted this summer to develop a Final Closure Plan.

The Regional District has developed a webpage for information regarding the Westside landfill closure. It can be accessed on the Regional District website selecting the Quick Links option and clicking on Landfill Closure.

Source Regional District of Central Okanagan "Whats New" (May 29, 2009)

Drive less. If you can get by without a vehicle, great. If not, try carpooling, walking, cycling or taking transit a few days a week. Every little bit makes a difference – and we all have a role to play in cleaning up our air. Driving less saves money, too. And, if you walk or cycle, you’ll be healthier as well.   (It doesn't matter how far the landfill is and maybe you can carpool to the landfill over by the Kelowna airport)
Avoid idling. It wastes fuel, wastes money, stresses your engine and pollutes the air. Worst of all, it serves no purpose.  (It doesn't matter how far the landfill is and maybe you can carpool to the landfill over by the Kelowna airport)  In cold climates, a block heater is a more effective, efficient option for warming up your engine, and only needs to run for about two hours. Even without a block heater, modern vehicles only need a few minutes of run time – at most – to warm up.
Get regular tune-ups. Vehicles that are properly serviced run more efficiently, waste less fuel and produce less air pollution. They’re also less likely to break down, and tend to last longer.
Consider a cleaner vehicle. If you’re in the market for a vehicle, consider something fuel-efficient. A hybrid is an option if you’re buying new, but many later model, smaller vehicles are also environmentally friendly. (And the BC Government will help buy you a new smart car too through Cash for Klunkers)
Avoid using gas-powered tools, such as lawnmowers, leaf blowers and trimmers. Push mowers, electric mowers and even modern gas powered models are better for our health, and our environment.
If you use wood for fuel, use it wisely. The best option is to upgrade your stove to ensure you’re making use of the latest emission reduction technologies. But changes in the way you burn can also make a difference. For example, you can reduce air pollution significantly by always using dry wood, cutting it into small pieces, and keeping your stove and chimney clean and in good working order. (And its ok for the Regional District to purchase an air curtain burner to burn beetle killed wood?)
Consider a switch. If you’re buying a new stove or heating appliance, consider one fuelled by propane, natural gas or pellets.  These can all be cleaner alternatives to burning wood.
Say no to backyard burning. Backyard burning was once considered an easy way to get rid of garbage. (But backyard burning there is no more pollution that what it takes to drive across town to dump it?) Today we know it’s a serious hazard that exposes families, neighbours, pets and whole communities to toxic fumes. Many areas have banned the practice, and even where it is allowed, a good rule of thumb is “Don’t burn unless you have to.”
Get involved. Join or create a local air quality management group to work with your local government to improve air quality in your community.
Plant a tree. Trees help to filter harmful pollutants from our air.

Consider choosing several of these actions to save money, save energy, safe fuel, avoid waste, reduce impact on our climate and improve your local air quality.

For example, if you avoid idling and using gas-powered tools, and if you plant one tree, you could keep over 10 kg of smog-causing pollutants out of the air. Or if you buy a new certified woodstove, get regular tune-ups and drive less, you could reduce air pollutants by almost 100 kg.

The Public Hearing was advertised as follows:
- Kelowna Daily Courier on Tuesday, April 21 and Wednesday, April 22, 2009 (pursuant to the Local Government Act)
- An information notice was also placed in the Capital News on Sunday, April 19, 2009

Item 1 Zoning Amendment Bylaw No 871-194.pdf

Further to the Public Hearing notification process, no letters or correspondence had been received from the community at time of preparing this report.

What about this letter written by the Regional District themselves??

There were 68 properties and not just residents that signed this petition.

Item 6.12 Contract Amendment re-Transfer Stations.pdf

Item 8.4 Notice of Motion - Rural Areas Garbage Collection.pdf
 

NOTICE OF MOTION
Subject: Regional District of Central Okanagan - Garbage Collection in Rural Areas
Submitted by: Director Kelly Hayes
Date: April 27, 2009 Regular Board Meeting

THAT the Regional Board direct staff to bring forward a report to the next Governance and Services Committee meeting with regard to the Automated Waste Collection System and options for rural collection to include: concerns raised to date with collection in rural areas, is exclusion possible and what would be the impact for rural areas, including financial and contractual.

Thank you Kelly Hayes!!!

Division 4.5 — Dispute Resolution in Relation to Services
813 Definitions
813.01 Minister may appoint facilitators
813.02 Parties to a service review or service withdrawal
813.03 Costs of service review or service withdrawal
813.04 Initiating a service review
813.05 Other issues and services may be dealt with in one service review
813.06 Preliminary meeting
813.07 Negotiations to resolve issues
813.08 Initiating service withdrawal
813.09 Minister's direction on process
813.10 Addition of further initiating participants or further services
813.11 Early termination of process
813.12 Mediation
813.13 Arbitration
813.14 Initiating participant must respond to final resolution
813.15 Direction to further arbitration in certain cases
813.16 When final resolution becomes binding
813.17 Implementation of final resolution by bylaw
813.18 Failure to adopt required bylaws
813.19 Regulations respecting arbitrations

Definitions
813 For the purposes of this Division:

"final resolution" means the establishment of the terms and conditions for withdrawal from a service by an arbitrator's decision under section 813.13 [arbitration process] or 813.15 [direction to further arbitration in certain cases];

"initiating participant" means a participant who gave notice under section 813.04 [initiating a service review] or 813.08 [initiating service withdrawal], as applicable;

"notice of withdrawal" means notice under section 813.14 (1) (d) (i) [initiating participant decision to proceed with withdrawal];

"service review" means a review of participation in one or more services in accordance with the process under sections 813.04 to 813.07;

"service withdrawal" means proposed withdrawal from participation in one or more services in accordance with the process under sections 813.08 to 813.19.

Initiating a service review

813.04 (1) A participant may initiate a service review under this Division if all the following circumstances apply:

(a) the participant has been a participant in the service for at least 5 years or, if applicable, the shorter time period provided in the establishing bylaw for the service;

(b) the service has not been subject to a service review that was initiated within the past 3 years;

(c) the establishing bylaw does not include provisions under section 800.2 (1) (c.2) establishing an alternative review process;

(d) the participant considers that the terms and conditions of participation in the service are not satisfactory.

(2) To initiate a service review, a participant must give written notice to the board, all other participants in the service and the minister.

(3) The notice under subsection (2) must

(a) describe the terms and conditions of participation in the service that the participant finds unsatisfactory,

(b) give reasons, relating to those terms and conditions, as to why the participant wishes to initiate the service review, and

(c) describe how the participant has previously attempted to resolve the issues.

(4) A participant who wishes to initiate service reviews for more than one service must give separate notice under this section for each service.

(5) In the case of a service review in relation to the exercise of authority under letters patent, the minister may determine what is to be considered a separate service under that authority for the purposes of this Division.

Feb 16, 2006 email reply from RDCO communications co-ordinator in reply to an email okanaganlakebc.ca sent to RDCO Feb 10, 2006.

Q. how many homes in the North Westside pay the $40 annual utility fee for the Sugar Loaf transfer station?
A. There are currently 676 utility bills sent out for the use of that transfer station.  However some properties may have a second suite or mobile home etc. on their property, as a result they are billed for the appropriate additional users ... so there are presently 710 units contributing the transfer station fee.

General Revenue Fund - 097 - N.O.W.E.S.I. Transfer Station

Revenues

from page 2 of the .pdf document

2. Communication Goals
These are broad, general statements about what we are trying to achieve in all of our communications. Everything we do to communicate our messages about the Regional District’s programs, services, and activities should reflect these principles.

• To effectively communicate to our communities in a timely, clear, and consistent manner in order to inform, educate, and involve

• To be open, honest, and proactive in delivery of our messages and in encouraging participation from our various audiences

-------------------------

from page 7 of the .pdf document

Action Plans:

Undertake surveys or utilize other research tools to determine what type of information our communities require and their preferred delivery options.

Proposed Zoning Bylaw Amendments
The Regional Board has given first reading to proposed amendments to Zoning Bylaw No. 871. The annual update includes text and mapping changes to reflect policy and development trends. Among the proposed amendments: a change to the F1 Forest Resource zone that would increase the minimum parcel size from four hectares to 30- hectares and a zoning change from P1 Park and Open Space to I-1 Light Industrial to allow installation of a new solid waste/recycling transfer station on a parcel adjacent to the La Casa Strata development off Westside Road.

-------------------------------

The La Casa online application to purchase the land for the transfer station shows the following on March 26, 2009:

NOTICE: No decisions have been made for this application at this time.

http://www.arfd.bc.ca/ApplicationPosting/viewpost.jsp?PostID=9211

This function provided for the operation and maintenance of the Westbank Sanitary Landfill which served most of the communities on the Westside of Okanagan Lake, including I.R. #9 & #10, and a user fee arrangement at the Kelowna Sanitary Landfill for the electoral areas on the eastside of Okanagan Lake. The Westside Sanitary Landfill has a long history of operation within the Westbank community. Initially this operation consisted of a pit and burn procedure on the site where the Kinsmen ball fields are presently located. This pit and burn operation was managed by the Westbank Irrigation District and looked after by long term Westbank resident, Sid Saunders. Upon closure of the pit and burn procedure, the Regional District operated a landfill on the same site until such time as sufficient space became a problem. The District then entered into a lease with crown land to establish a full sanitary landfill operation on its present day site on Asquith Road.

Prior to the implementation of this function, the Lakeview Irrigation District also operated a pit and burn site on the location where Brookhaven Westside Care Home is situated today. This pit and burn operation was also closed when the Westside Sanitary Landfill was established.

A garbage dump later to become landfill was operated on a site north of Killiney Beach on the west side of Okanagan Lake to serve Fintry, Ewing’s Landing, Valley of the Sun, Killiney Beach and West Shore communities. That operation was managed by long term resident, Jules Harvath. The Regional District experienced a lot of bear problems at this location and eventually it was closed in favour of locating the transfer station closer to the centre of the communities, and operated by a community association. A transfer station was also located at Traders Cover to provide a disposal site for residents generally within the Traders Cove and Lake Okanagan Resort areas.

Can residents from other districts use the Armstrong dump on Power House Road or is this dump limited only to residents that live within the North Okanagan Regional District?

From RDNO:
The Regional District of North Okanagan has a policy to protect the capacity of our disposal facilities, therefore, unless there is compelling reason and the Regional Board approves the out of region use of our facilities, we do not allow material from outside our boundaries to enter our Recycling and Disposal Facilities (RDF), including the Armstrong/Spallumcheen RDF on Powerhouse Road. If you would like to review annual reports, refer to the RDNO Solid Waste Management Plan, or find other solid waste management information, please take a look at our web site: www.rdno.ca.

Is it true that the Power House Road dump is funded entirely by tipping fees and residents are not charged a fee on their property tax as well?

From RDNO:
The Armstrong/Spallumcheen RDF, as with the entire solid waste management program, is funded entirely through tipping fees received at the scale house and through customer accounts. Although there is no tax requisition used by the RDNO to operate the facilities, the member municipalities that use them may collect a service fee or use their tax requisition to recover costs from their residents. 

--------------------------------------

** Note from okanaganlakebc.ca **
Maybe its Findlaters Municipality who are helping to dump along Westside Road?

-That the waste transfer site be re-designated in the future land use plan of the North Westside OCP and rezoned to permit the proposed use;

-Approval from all other agencies/stakeholders included on the Provincial referral.
AND FURTHER THAT the Development & Environmental Services Department Report dated October 17, 2008 be forwarded to Front Counter BC for their information.

CARRIED

Oct 27, 2008 Board Agenda
Item 6.5d Front Counter BC Referral Application adjacent to La Casa Resort Development.pdf

To develop a waste transfer site and a park at La Casa.

Regional District of Central Okanagan Board Agenda October 27, 2008
Item 6.5d Front Counter BC Referral Application adjacent to La Casa Resort Development.pdf

The subject Crown parcels are designated Parks and Recreation in North Westside OCP Bylaw No. 785. this designation supports the proposed park site. The waste transfer station site will require rezoning and an amendment to the land use designation of the OCP. (page 2)

With respect to the proposed park site, the Strata President of KAS2428 has indicated that there are no immediate plans to develop a park. The Strata only wishes opportunity to perhaps carry out site improvements adjacent to their road right-of-way in the form of landscaping. (page 2)

An update report to the Regional District's Engineering Committee in March 2007 indicated that the La Casa Resort had not received title to the property and that construction would not commence until full legal authority of the property had been assigned. (page 2)

Special consideration needs to be given to the Strata Corp. administration and maintenance staff and to their rental management operators to access and use the waste transfer station on a more frequent basis. (page 3)

Likely open 4 days per week (ie. Sat, Sun, Tues, Thurs from 1-5 pm) - can be flexible to accommodate strata's needs and peak operating periods; (page 3)  (This just wouldn't be fair as RDCO refuses to be flexible with the rest of the Westsider's?  Is La Casa special and the rest of the Westside residents don't count?  Maybe La Casa could drive a few km's to meet in the middle?)

It is estimated that a second transfer station will cost approximately $25,000 to construct and $35,000/year to operate (one half-time staff and hauling and tipping fees). (page 13)

okanaganlakebc.ca note***
Are residents going to pay for the transfer station attendants flexible hours or is La Casa?

September 10, 2009 Governance & Services Committee Meeting Minutes

Waste Reduction

5.3 Additional Yard Waste Collection Service Options and Costs Staff report dated September 10, 2009 provided an update on the yard waste collection service in 2009.

Staff noted that in addition to the Committee's report updated costs have been provided to municipal staff for consideration by municipal Councils for a one-time pickup.

The question was raised whether a similar option of providing additional yard waste containers in the member municipalities can be considered. Staff noted that it would be up to each municipality to make that decision as they have separate collection contracts and own their own carts.

#GS82/09 HODGE/SHEPHERD
THAT the Governance and Services Committee recommends that the following resolution be DEFERRED to the September 21, 2009 Regular Board meeting for electoral area director consideration.

"THAT the Regional Board support that households on curbside waste collection within the Regional District electoral areas are able to acquire up to two additional 360 litre yard waste carts and service (March to November) to supplement their existing yard waste service."

CARRIED

#GS83/09 SHEPHERD/RULE
THAT each member municipality receive the September 10,2009 Additional Yard Waste Collection Services Options and Costs report;

AND FURTHER THAT the Regional Board recommends Council and their staff from each member municipality review the information provided in the report to determine if they would like to supplement their service with a one-time unlimited collection of bagged yard waste or consider activation of extra carts.

CARRIED

Concern was expressed that a broader message is needed to communicate the issue of carts blocking bike lanes.

Communication staff have discussed the issue and a visitation program is occurring in the specific areas where the problem exists. Following that, if the problem continues, a further general communication program will occur.

October 8, 2009 Governance & Services Committee Meeting Minutes

Engineering

5.5 Westside Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant Biosolids - Approval of funds to engage a consultant

The opportunity to participate in an Organic Recycling project (Ogogrow), presented itself to the Regional District in 2007. In 2008, $25,000 was committed to assist in funding the design to expand the expositing Ogogrow facility to accommodate anticipated volumes of RDCO biosolids produced at the WRWWTP.

The existing partnership between the City of Kelowna and the City of Vernon was to be expanded to include the RDCO as a capital partner. Unfortunately, in August 2009 Vernon City Council did not endorse the recommendation from City of
Vernon staff to accept RDCO as a partner on the expansion.

Currently, all biosolids produced at the Westside Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant are transferred to the Glenmore landfill in agreement with the City of Kelowna and the Ministry of Environment. This was due to the fact the Westside
landfill is moving forward with the closure plan and biosolids diversion is part of the
implementation of the plan for 2009. The City of Kelowna is also transferring a portion of biosolids to the Glenmore landfill, until the expansion at the Ogogrow site can accommodate all of the city's volumes.

Recently, City staff has advised the RDCO that the City of Kelowna has only a temporary Operating Certificate amendment to allow for disposal of sewage sludge until the end of the year. The extension will not be recommended beyond the time at which the Ogogrow facility expansion is completed.  RDCO staff has inquired whether the Ogogrow partnership will consider receiving Westside Treatment Plant biosolids as a tipping fee customer.

Staff recommends that the Regional District continue to investigate potential options and draft a Biosolids Management Plan recognized and approved by the MOE.

Discussion:
How do we establish best options when we don't know the tipping fee? There will likely be a recalculation of the tipping fee due to capital costs. Vernon has not agreed to take on any more tipping fee partners. We need to know if they will accept RDCO as a tipping fee partner.

May be other options currently not considered. Service partners have discussed the issue even though the impact for tipping fees is not known. A stand alone solution may be the option which will have to be considered.

#GS97/09 FIELDING/FINDLATER
THAT the Governance and Services Committee recommends to the Regional Board that funds up to $50,000 to be allocated from the approved Ogogrow Partnership budget of $500,000 to engage a consultant to research and report on options for biosolids produced at the WRWWTP including:

• Transferring biosolids to the Ogogrow facility if acceptable to facility partnership

• Investigating construction of an RDCO biosolids handling and processing facility

• Partnering with private sector on construction of a facility capable of treating biosolids

• Acceptance of transfer of biosolids to other existing facilities

AND THAT there be ongoing engagement of service partners throughout the process;

AND FURTHER THAT the Development and Environmental Services Department engage a consultant to draft a Biosolids Management Plan to be approved by the Ministry of Environment within the same project;

AND FURTHER THAT staff forward an application to the Ministry of Community and Rural Development, Infrastructure Planning Grant Program to be considered in the next round of applications.

CARRIED

August 13, 2009 - Governance & Services Committee Meeting Minutes

7. Development & Environmental Services Engineering

7.1 Ogogrow Facility Partnership

Staff report dated August 13, 2009 outlined the background of discussions which have been occurring since 2007 regarding the possibility of becoming a partner in the Ogogrow facility with the City of Kelowna and the City of Vernon. Based on preliminary numbers the Regional District would be required to contribute approximately $1.7 million towards the capital costs of the facility. The funding has been identified in the 5-year financial plan. Although the City of Kelowna has agreed to the Regional District's participation, the City of Vernon will be required to exercise their option whether to allow the Regional District to be included as a full partner.

Chair Hobson noted that yesterday the City of Vernon Council agreed not to accept the Regional District as a partner but agreed to the District coming on board as a 'tipping fee user' (paying per tonnage). City staff have been working with Vernon on operational issues for a number of months and that new equipment has recently been put in place to address issues at the facility.

Staff will now review what options are available to the Regional District and report back to the Committee. It was suggested that City staff should be asked to provide an update and possible tour of the facility in order to inform the Board how the
facility operates.

#GS70/09 FIELDING/OPHUS
THAT the Governance and Services Committee receive the information on the Ogogrow Facility Partnership dated August 13, 2009;

AND FURTHER THAT staff be directed to report on the options available to the Regional District and the associated costs;

AND FURTHER THAT the City of Kelowna be requested to provide an overview to the Governance and Services Committee on the Ogogrow facility including a possible tour of the facility.

CARRIED

August 13, 2009 - Governance & Services Committee Meeting Minutes

Waste Reduction

7.2 Update on Automated Waste Collection

Peter Rotheisier, waste reduction coordinator, provided an update on the automated waste collection program highlighting the recent issues with the program:

• Rollout continues. 49,000 households have received their carts, approximately 2,000 remain. Rollout will be complete by the end of August.

• Shortage of carts has been determined, correct numbers were ordered but the proportions ended up being incorrect. RDCO, Lake Country and Peachland were under budget for the original order: West Kelowna and Kelowna will need
  to fund the additional carts required.

• Reasons for the shortage were explained ie: not as many change-outs from standard carts and there are more secondary suites than expected (many unknown and illegal),

• Carts in bike lanes continue to be a challenge, Further communication is being done, door-to-door volunteer approach will be implemented,

• Yard waste report will be coming forward in September.

• Call volumes have dropped down.

- The exact cost for automated collection need to be confirmed before the bylaw comes forward to the Board for approval.

Program changes with the automated system include costs for;

• Introducing a pay as you go system ie: if you need larger containers you would pay for it. There will be an opportunity to change the size of the cart one time for no charge.

• Option to purchase Tag-a-Bag to increase to $2.50 per tag.

• Changes to Schedule F to encourage business to separate their recyclables. Reintroducing a handling fee to haulers.

- It was noted that there may be a need to extend yard waste pickup depending upon the weather. Currently the pickup time is March thru to November.

- The bylaws are mirror bylaws with each municipality. A technical committee has reviewed changes to the bylaw and final vetting is now being done.

- It was noted that the grant application to UBCM for the purchase of the carts has been turned down. Staff are attempting to determine why the grant was denied.

ACTION: Staff to review all wording in the bylaw before proceeding.

REID/EDGSON

THAT the report on amendments to the RDCO Solid Waste Management Bylaw to reflect changes to an automated waste collection system be received.

CARRIED

7.5 Memorandum of Understanding between the Regional District of Central Okanagan and member municipalities for the Regional Waste Reduction Office to provide cart inventory control and marketing services for automated collection program.

C. Suhan noted that in 1999 the regional district and member municipalities signed an MOU for the regional waste reduction office to provide and adminster the recyclables collection service. Due to changes in the program with the automated collection system it is necessary to move forward with a revised MOU. There is no financial impact with signing the MOU.

It is recommended that the Regional District waste reduction office maintain the inventory of all the carts. As a central location is deemed to be the best option for distributing the carts, the technical committee is recommending using the old KSS site for this purpose. There will be a cost of $59,000 incurred to prepare the site for distribution. This cost will be allocated evenly to the partners. The site will be used for approximately a five month period while the carts are being distributed.

Upon review of the draft MOU it was recommended that staff review the wording of the agreement as well as delete the number of recycling depots in the agreement.

GIVEN/EDGSON

THAT the Governance and services Committee recommend that the Regional Board approve the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Solid Waste Curbside Collection Services;

AND FURTHER THAT staff forward the MOU to member municipalities for their approval.

CARRIED

C. Suhan circulated a draft budget for the automated waste collection program roll-out for 2009. As she is leaving the Regional District a draft budget was circulated for the Committee's information.

EDGSON/REID

THAT the Governance and Services Committee receive the draft 2009 budget for the solid waste management function, automated waste collection program roll-out and refer the document to future budget discussions.

CARRIED

Could this be a local government election ploy in Central Okanagan West??

Transfer station looms for area
By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star - Published: October 31, 2008

It may eventually be easier for some North Westside residents to get rid of their garbage.

On Monday, the Central Okanagan Regional District board gave conditional support to a land transfer that would allow a solid waste transfer station to be constructed at La Casa Resort.

“There’s been phenomenal growth in the area and this would help residents of Valley of the Sun, Upper Fintry and La Casa,” said Jim Edgson, North Westside electoral director.

“This would be a regional district and it would be the second one in the area.”

Currently, there is a transfer station at Killiney Beach but a new facility would provide easier access for residents at the south end of the North Westside community to dispose of trash.

From the transfer stations, the waste is then hauled to CORD’s landfill in Westbank.

La Casa Resort’s strata corporation has applied to the provincial government to purchase two parcels of land totalling 3.28 hectares for a transfer station and for future park.

CORD’s approval for the land transfer is subject to La Casa and the regional district reaching an agreement for the construction, operating and maintenance of the transfer station.

And Edgson is confident that a final deal can be reached.

“We’ve got everything laid out and we’ve got all of the architectural plans,” he said. “We want to make sure it fits in with the architectural style of La Casa.”

The property would also be the focus of a land use redesignation in the North Westside official community plan and rezoning would be required before construction could begin.

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The Regional District may have ok'd this transfer of crown land but according to the Integrated Land Management Bureau's website, the ILMB HAS NOT granted La Casa a decision to purchase the crown land for the new transfer station and park of 3.280 Hectares as yet. The ILMB website says "NOTICE: No decisions have been made for this application at this time." You can see for yourself if you search ILMB website database for La Casa Strata KAS2428 or file: #3402164
http://www.arfd.bc.ca/ApplicationPosting/viewpost.jsp?PostID=9211

La Casa has been using the location for the new transfer station for their own building material waste. I believe La Casa has a 30 year lease for this land. If you want to see photos of this location and the building material waste dumped on the ground then click on this link and scroll down a little bit to see the photos.
http://www.okanaganlakebc.ca/community/personal/westside_road/garbage.htm

Meanwhile residents of the North Westside have been waiting for a second transfer station since 1999 according to the North Westside Official Community Plan of that era. This La Casa transfer station has been in the works for the past 2 years. At one point it said in the Vernon Morning Star that the La Casa transfer station would open early 2007 LOL!! I believe this is an election ploy. Jim Edgson wants everyone to believe they are getting a transfer station when in fact the transfer station may not get built if the ILMB does not grant permission to La Casa to purchase the land. La Casa at one point let their land application lapse and re-applied just Feb 28 2008 according to the ILMB website.

With respect to the proposed park site, the Strata President of KAS2428 has indicated that there are no immediate plans to develop a park. The Strata only wishes opportunity to perhaps carry out site improvements adjacent to their road right-of-way in the form of landscaping.
You can read about La Casa's park at this link:
http://www.regionaldistrict.com/docs/boards_committees/agnd/2008 Agendas/08_10_27/Item 6.5d Front Counter BC Referral Application adjacent to La Casa Resort Development.pdf

Jim Edgson is our current dictator, whoops Director for Central Okanagan West, but I surely won't be electing him! I will be voting for Dave Robertson who believes that the land for a new transfer station should be owned by the Regional District and not La Casa Lakeside Cottage Resort strata and then leased to the Regional District. Dave Robertson who was a firefighter for 15 years knows a lot more about the Pine Beetle and the forest than Jim Edgson a retired oil field worker who has has no plan in place for the beetle kill yet! He even said a tree fell on the road behind him as he was travelling down the road LOL!! Hint Hint!!

On another note**** RDCO's website says: .....to subdivide the Lake Okanagan Resort property into two lots; one of approximately 7.65 ha and a remainder lot of 22.35 ha is size.
The purpose of the subdivision is to reduce exposure to property transfer tax in British Columbia.
http://www.regionaldistrict.com/docs/boards_committees/agnd/2008 Agendas/08_10_27/Item 6.7a Development Variance Permit VP-08-12 Lake Okanagan Resort.pdf

To the editor:

Highways Minister Kevin Falcon wants to use Okanagan Lake as a landfill site for the old bridge.

Bid documents show the bridge contractors knew the plan to sink the bridge may not be acceptable. Contractors have contingency plans for various on-land disposal options. They should use them—not the lake.

It is the government that wants to sink the bridge in order to save money—not the contractor.

Drinking water reservoirs require protection from waste dumping activities and should not be used for landfill projects.

Tell Minister Falcon and local MLAs Sindi Hawkins and Al Horning that drinking water from landfill sites is unacceptable. If you don’t, they will tell us to drink from our toilets in order to save money on sewer infrastructure costs.

Richard Drinnan,
Kelowna

Sept 21, 2008
Major restructuring of RDCO from 200 employees down to 105.

(click article to read larger print)
Specific studies that are underway are the North Westside transfer station for garbage and water in the Upper Fintry/Valley of the Sun area.

It was recommended that the new community association be consulted.

AND FURTHER THAT an independent consultant be retained to complete an analysis of how fire protection can best be provided for the currently unprotected lands between the Wilsons Landing and North Westside Road Volunteer Fire Departments;

90. Collection / Transfer System
(6) The fear of unauthorized dumping has usually proved unwarranted, particularly where the user-pay program has been preceded by an effective promotional campaign.

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/epdpa/mpp/gprswmp2.html#s90

4.OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES
4.1 Prohibited and Difficult Wastes
Only small transfer stations, accepting less than 1,000 tonnes/year, should be allowed to operate without staff during operating hours, a privilege that should be rescinded if problems develop.
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/epdpa/mpp/gfetsfms.html#41

4.3 Supervision
Operating staff should inspect every transfer station at least once per week. Stations receiving 1,000 tonnes/year or more of waste should provide an operator on site during operating hours. Facilities receiving 5,000 tonnes/year or more should employ staff at the scale house and on the tipping floor or in the bin area at all times during operating hours.

Even at the smallest stations, staff are required on at least an intermittent basis to ensure that prohibited wastes are not being dumped, that the facility is functioning properly, and that the site is being kept clean.
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/epdpa/mpp/gfetsfms.html#43

4.6 Site Tidiness
Litter at small unstaffed stations should be cleaned up at least once per week. Cleanup at stations with permanent staff should be done every operating day, or as required. Staffed stations with weigh scales should consider charging users an additional fee if they arrive with improperly secured or improperly covered loads.
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/epdpa/mpp/gfetsfms.html#46

General Revenue Fund - 097 - N.O.W.E.S.I. Transfer Station

Revenues

Total Revenues

Total Expenses

N.O.W.E.S.I. (Sugar Loaf transfer station) revenue and expense files from RDCO

2005 Expense Detail

2004 Site Maintenance

2004 and 2005 Revenue and Expense Totals

2007 Revenue and Expense Totals

All properties with homes are required by bylaw to contribute.

Once a final building inspection or occupancy permit is issued, whichever occurs first, the property would be added to the utility billing list in our Finance Department. Property owners can also apply at the transfer stations. These are the only two ways that utility billing fees occur.

As stated in previous emails, the La Casa strata currently is not involved with the utility billing as it has a private contractor providing services.

These users as you know, are charged a combination of parcel taxes (which pay for all Solid Waste Management functions including Regional Waste Reduction Office and Westside Sanitary Landfill etc) and user fees through utility billing. The costs of the North Westside Transfer station are covered through a combination of revenue from the above, both parcel tax and utility billing.

However, in discussing this with our Finance Department, in January, there were 761 properties billed for the North Westside Transfer Station utility fee. In January, there were 230 billed for Traders Cove Transfer Station. In each case, the vast majority have homes on them, but there are some property owners that have asked to pay the fee, even though they don’t have a home on the property in order to utilize the services of the transfer station.

What does N.O.W.E.S.I. mean? It is the acronym for North Westside or NOWESI.

The NOWESI 2008 financial budget only covers the Sugar Loaf (North Westside) transfer station.

Tag-a-bags

July 7, 2008 email says:
North Westside transfer station purchased 100 tags from us to sell on April 10th, 2008. They purchased 100 tags on August 27th 2007 and 50 tags on April 4, 2006

Please remember that tags may be purchased at any of the Regional District electoral area retail outlets and are good in the Central Okanagan electoral areas (and the Westside District Municipality), so for example, while I presume most of the tags sold by the Sugar Loaf transfer station are used by customers there, someone from the North Westside area could purchase a tag at another regional district outlet and use the tag on additional bags disposed of at the Sugar Loaf station. They are not required to purchase at the Sugar Loaf transfer station and use the tag there.

No tags are available for purchase or sale at the Traders Cove Transfer station.

The revenue from all contractor tag sales goes into the general fund for Solid Waste Management. As such, our Finance Department does not have a record of tag sales revenue by location and calendar year. We only have the number of tags purchased in bulk by a retail contractor (Mac’s, Westside Landfill, Westside Chamber etc.). So the Sugar Loaf North Westside transfer station requested 100 tags on April 10th this year…we receive the funds after they are sold and those monies would go into the Solid Waste Management budget as revenue, just as we collect tipping fees at the Westside Landfill and that money is considered revenue for the Solid Waste Management program.

Tag sales revenue
  2005 - $3,545.75
  2004 - $3,676.50
  2003 - $4,121.00
  2002 - $3,133.00
  2001 - $2,557.50

Interior Health’s senior medical health officer is not surprised by a new report which says as many as 21,000 Canadians will die prematurely this year because of the effects of air pollution.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all. As a matter of fact I think over the last few years there has been a significant expansion of our understanding of the impacts of poor air quality on health,” Dr. Paul Hasselback said.

He added that gone are the days when people could assume air quality was fine until an alert saying otherwise was issued.

The Canadian Medical Association released the report, No Breathing Room: National Illness Costs of Air Pollution, on Wednesday.

“With the start of the Olympics in Beijing, much has been made about the poor air quality in China and the effect it is having on our athletes,” said CMA president Dr. Brian Day.

“But we have a serious home-grown pollution problem right here and Canadians, ranging from the very young to the very old, are paying the price.”

The report found that while most of this year’s air pollution-related deaths will be the result of chronic exposure over many years, almost 3,000 cases will be from acute short-term exposure.

It predicts that by 2031, almost 90,000 people in Canada will die from the acute effects of air pollution and 710,000 will die from long-term exposure.

Air pollution is known to have negative effects on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems.

The CMA report says 42 per cent of air pollution-related acute premature deaths will be the result of cardiovascular disease.

It expects the number of premature deaths related to chronic exposure to air pollution in Canada to rise 83 per cent between 2008 and 2031.

During that same time, the accumulated negative economic impact of air pollution is predicted to go from $10 billion to over $300 billion.

The report says there will be 306 acute premature deaths related to air pollution in B.C. this year, along with 1,158 hospital admissions and 8,763 emergency department visits.

By 2031 those totals are expected to rise to 585 acute premature deaths, 1,985 hospital admissions and 14,975 emergency department visits, further stressing our health care system.

Hasselback said residents of the Okanagan are relatively lucky when it comes to air quality.

However, “we live in a valley and that valley is subjected at certain times to what meteorologists call inversions and it traps poor air quality,” he said.

“And we keep adding to that by using vehicles, burning wood fuels (and emitting) other types of pollutants that get into the air.”

On top of the pollution generated locally, pollutants from far away can travel here and get trapped, as happened recently with the forest fires burning in California.

People with existing respiratory or cardiovascular conditions, as well as the elderly and young children are most at risk from air pollution.

Hasselback suggested people become familiar with the air quality index at www.airhealthbc.ca and at what point poor air quality affects their health.

“And for those who do have chronic diseases (they should) have discussions with their health care provider on what, if any changes need to be made to their treatment regimes to manage poor air quality days,” he said.

Schedule 10, 2006 (i) (Bylaw No. 1165)

Ticket Offences For Regional District of Central Okanagan Solid Waste Management Regulation Bylaw No. 1162, 2006

Prohibited deposit of Garbage or Recyclable Material 4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.1.3 = $150.00 fine

Prohibited deposit of Mandatory Recyclable Material 4.1.4 $150.00 fine

Prohibited deposit of Garbage 4.1.5 $150.00 fine

Place Garbage for pickup with others 4.1.6 $150.00 fine

Use Landfill, Transfer Station or Recycling Depot after hours 4.1.8 $150.00 fine

Scavage materials 4.1.11 $150.00 fine

Deposit Garbage or Household Recyclable Materials after hours 4.1.20 $150.00 fine

Fail to cover load 3.1.9 $150.00 fine

(page 2)
SCHEDULE 1, 2006 (ii)
Bylaw No. 1165, 2006
DESIGNATED BYLAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS
- Bylaw Enforcement Officer
- Teller/Gate Operator
- Landfill Attendant
- Director of Inspection Services

RDCO Bylaws Index

Regarding your email of July 1st at 6:18pm requesting information for bag tag sales. I would suggest that you ask the staff at the Sugar Loaf North Westside transfer station how many tags they sold in each of the calendar years requested. As they are a contractor providing the tag sale service for the Regional District electoral areas (just like Mac’s, Ellison store, Westside Chamber, Westside District Municipality, Sugar Loaf stn) we only keep a record of the purchase of tags and the number of tags sold in bulk to each of our Regional District contractors when they require them. For example, the North Westside transfer station purchased 100 tags from us to sell on April 10th, 2008. They purchased 100 tags on August 27th 2007 and 50 tags on April 4, 2006. Please remember that tags may be purchased at any of the Regional District electoral area retail outlets and are good in the Central Okanagan electoral areas (and the Westside District Municipality), so for example, while I presume most of the tags sold by the Sugar Loaf transfer station are used by customers there, someone from the North Westside area could purchase a tag at another regional district outlet and use the tag on additional bags disposed of at the Sugar Loaf station. They are not required to purchase at the Sugar Loaf transfer station and use the tag there.

No tags are available for purchase or sale at the Traders Cove Transfer station.

The revenue from all contractor tag sales goes into the general fund for Solid Waste Management. As such, our Finance Department does not have a record of tag sales revenue by location and calendar year. We only have the number of tags purchased in bulk by a retail contractor (Mac’s, Westside Landfill, Westside Chamber etc.). So the Sugar Loaf North Westside transfer station requested 100 tags on April 10th this year…we receive the funds after they are sold and those monies would go into the Solid Waste Management budget as revenue, just as we collect tipping fees at the Westside Landfill and that money is considered revenue for the Solid Waste Management program.

----------------------------------------

October 12, 2006 email from RDCO:

Tag sales revenue
2005 - $3,545.75
2004 - $3,676.50
2003 - $4,121.00
2002 - $3,133.00
2001 - $2,557.50

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July 4, 2008 email from RDCO:

Are there any North Westside Road properties with homes that do not pay the utility bill for the Sugar Loaf or Traders Cove transfer stations and if so how many, and for what reasons do they not pay?   None…all properties with homes are required by bylaw to contribute.

How many properties are there with homes on them in the North Westside Road area from Westshore Estates to Fintry?  I am sorry, but there is no one place for me to easily go to get the answer to this question. However, in discussing this with our Finance Department, in January, there were 761 properties billed for the North Westside Transfer Station utility fee. In January, there were 230 billed for Traders Cove Transfer Station. In each case, the vast majority have homes on them, but there are some property owners that have asked to pay the fee, even though they don’t have a home on the property in order to utilize the services of the transfer station.

What does the characters N.O.W.E.S.I. mean? Is N.O.W.E.S.I. 2008 financial budget document include both the Traders Cove and Sugar Loaf transfer stations?  It is the acronym for North Westside or NOWESI….regarding the second question, the NOWESI 2008 financial budget only covers the Sugar Loaf (North Westside) transfer station.

N.O.W.E.S.I. Transfer Station (page 38)
Revenue $57,643
http://www.regionaldistrict.com/docs/finance/2008finplan.pdf
Where all does this Revenue $57,643 come from and can you send me some website links or files that shows me what exactly the 2007 revenues and expenses were for? I wish to see the details. Document 097 function attached.

Your email said:
properties contribute to Sugar Loaf = 763
properties contribute to Traders Cove = 229
Total = 992 properties

992 properties x $40 year utility billing = $39,680
$57,643 revenue 2008 budget minus $39,680 revenue from utility bill = $17,963
Where does this extra Revenue come from?? These users as you know, are charged a combination of parcel taxes (which pay for all Solid Waste Management functions including Regional Waste Reduction Office and Westside Sanitary Landfill etc) and user fees through utility billing. The costs of the North Westside Transfer station are covered through a combination of revenue from the above, both parcel tax and utility billing.

Approx. how many La Casa homes are now sold, do you know?
Our Inspections Section provided me with this information. There have been a total of 236 dwellings and additions given building permits so far…dating back to February 2005 up to and including today (July 2nd, 2008).

If La Casa joins in the North Westside transfer station billing with a new transfer station at La Casa, will each and every one of the 497 La Casa lots automatically have to start paying the garbage utility bill $40.00 per year with lot sold or not as soon as we amalgamate, or will La Casa properties have to start paying the utility bill only at the time the lot is sold, or when will La Casa properties have to start paying the transfer station billing?
Once a final building inspection or occupancy permit is issued, whichever occurs first, the property would be added to the utility billing list in our Finance Department. Property owners can also apply at the transfer stations. These are the only two ways that utility billing fees occur. As stated in previous emails, the La Casa strata currently is not involved with the utility billing as it has a private contractor providing services.

Currently how does RDCO start billing North Westsiders for the Sugar Loaf Transfer station, does RDCO wait until someone phones RDCO and inquires about where to take their garbage or goes down to use the transfer station before RDCO starts billing them, or is it automatic billing to each property with a home on it in the North Westside? Answered in previous question.