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Public meetings on future of waste next week

BY Staff February 05, 2010 12:02

SIMCOE COUNTY - A number of concerned residents of three communities selected by Simcoe County for public consultation sessions on a new strategy for dealing with waste are calling on their neighbours to get involved in the process.

The meetings are being held in Alliston, Wasaga Beach and Midland this coming Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (Feb. 8 to 10).

A concerned citizens group called Water Watch is concerned that the county didn’t give enough notice for the meetings and the turnout might be low.

The county only gave a week’s advance notice for the open house session.

"It's vitally important that our county councillors hear what the people are saying - that there has to be a shift away from garbage disposal and toward resource recycling," said Don Morgan of Midland.

"Simcoe County needs to involve citizens because without popular support, there's no hope of making effective change," he said.

The county's public consultation plan had been for open-house sessions with its consultants. Council voted to include public meetings after an appeal to Warden Cal Patterson in a letter that has now been signed by 185 citizens.

Rudy Chernecki of Wasaga Beach said the options presently before Simcoe County include new and creative approaches that need careful consideration.

"There's no magic bullet. Some proposals require more individual involvement, others are more costly," he said. "It's important that whatever approach is selected by council in June has been fullycanvassed and understood by the residents - because it will be the plan for the next 20 years.”

Stan Copeland of Alliston urged everyone to get out to the meetings.

"You need to come out and be heard or face having our water and garbage problems dictated by a select few," he said, adding that more sessions need to be scheduled across the county, so the politicians are clear on what people want them to do.

"We have 16 municipalities, and residents of each one need the opportunity to find out what's going on."

The following public consultation sessions have been scheduled:

Mon, Feb. 8, Nottawasaga Inn, 6015 Highway 89, Crystal Ballroom, Alliston

Tues., Feb. 9, Wasaga Beach RecPlex, 1724 Mosley Street, Oakville Room, Wasaga Beach

Wed., Feb. 10, North Simcoe Sports and Recreation Centre, 527 Lens Self Boulevard, Bill Thompson Room, Midland.

The open houses start at 4:30 p.m., the public meetings start at 7 p.m. at all locations.

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