“At any cost?”
That was the question Mayor Cam Guthrie asked a delegate Monday night when he said that as a taxpayer he was satisfied with the city maintaining ownership of its solid waste recycling.
The forum was a special council meeting that saw staff deliver an interim report on the current Solid Waste Services Business Service Review.
The final report, which will include staff recommendations, will be delivered to council Nov. 20.
The interim report said that the city would be looking at “service delivery method analysis” after discovering the city will lose $2.5 million at its materials recycling facility this year.
It was the only one of six service areas currently underperforming when a consultant compared Guelph to 12 comparable municipalities.
“We can’t lose sight of the five out of the six (areas) that the service review says are doing well,” Guthrie said.
But the Mayor said it would be a “disservice” to taxpayers to discount any options at this point, including privatization.
“I’m in favour of all options on the table until the final report comes before us in November,” the Mayor said.
Councillor Phil Allt said privatization of any of Guelph’s solid waste services was “the elephant in the room” that needed to be “delicately addressed” in that final report.
“I’m assuming its not a fait accompli,” Allt said. “I’m certainly not in favour of privatization.”
Allt also wanted to know what the effect of privatization would have on the $2.5 million deficit.
The city used Dillon Consulting to compare the city’s performance with 12 comparable municipalities.
Five of the city’s six processes – curbside collection, organic waste, public drop off, hazardous waste and the waste collected that goes to landfill - are performing at or better than comparable municipality levels.
Councillors had the opportunity to bring up areas they would like to see addressed in the final report.
Councillor Mike Salisbury had questions about the methodology of the consultant’s report.
He said that choosing only five or two of the 12 comparable municipalities as comparison for some of the service areas “could be cherry picking.”
“Two is almost statistically irrelevant,” said Salisbury, referring to the number of comparisons in the area of hazardous waste.
He said he needed more information on the methodology used in the comparisons to be assured they were valid.
Allt wondered if the review was too focused on the past, not the future.
“It’s not about yesterday, but it’s about tomorrow that we’re concerned,” Allt said. “I think we might be looking into our crystal ball into the past and not into the future.
“I want to know what we can do.”
Deputy CAO Scott Stewart said the report is the basis for those future decisions and future direction of Solid Waste Services.
Councillor James Gordon brought up the point of the environmental value of recycling above and beyond the cost.
“That surely has a value in itself outside the dollars and cents,” Gordon said.
Council must also take into account there will be potential changes to waste and recycling legislations at the provincial level that could greatly affect municipal decision making. But that legislation may not come until 2019.
Councillor Cathy Downer said that while the city can’t wait until 2019 to make changes, the city should be cautious about making big changes until it knows what the new provincial legislation looks like.
She noted that the city spent a decade looking for a new landfill site only to see legislation change the playing field.
Councillor Leanne Piper asked staff to come back to council with information that looked at whether the fact that Guelph’s diversion rate from landfill – “the best in Ontario” – was actually costing the city money because there wasn’t a market for some of the recyclables being diverted.
Prior to Monday’s special meeting, members of CUPE Local 241 gathered outside City Hall to rally against possible privatization of waste services in Guelph. (See related story here)
Local 241 president Paul Clulow was one of three local labour leaders to speak as delegates at the meeting.
“Honestly, the answers that you’re looking for are in the people that do the job,” Clulow told council. “You can’t ignore the front-line workers.”
Janice Folk-Dawson, president of the Guelph and District Labour Council, said that privatization “costs more in the long run”
“There’s a lot of money to be made in private contracts – for a few,” Folk-Dawson said.
Andy Cleary, president of the local transit union employees, noted transit is also on the horizon for a service review.
“Keep everything in the house. There’s nothing more important than the team,” Cleary said.
