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Janis and Shon’s big Adventure
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a bloomin’ migration good time issues at the fair part 2
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Vol. 90 Issue 38 • Wednesday, September 18, 2013 • www.arrowlakesnews.com • 250-265-3823 • $1.25 •
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Issue of recycling in B.C. comes to Nakusp again Claire paradis Arrow Lakes News
The complex and incendiary issue of changes to how recycling is carried out in the province came to the Nakusp council table at the Sept. 9 meeting. CAO Linda Tynan and CFO Rob Richards gave a report about financial incentives being offered by Multiple Material BC (MMBC) and options available to the Village at this point. Tynan was clear from the beginning that making a decision at this juncture was very difficult due to a lack of information. “Right off the start I’d like to say we’re being asked to consider something where we don’t have all the big picture,” said CAO Tynan. Where a depot would be located is a big question that there is no answer for yet, she gave as an example. Currently, recycling services are provided by RDCK are part of waste management services, and cost the Village approximately $14,000 for the depot service. The Environmental Recycling Act
has shifted the onus on producers to pay for paper and packaging recycling, said Tynan, and as a result product stewards have arisen like MMBC. At the beginning, RDCK was approached by MMBC who told them they were taking responsibility for recycling in the province and that if the regional district worked for them as a contractor, they would be offered a financial incentive. The not-for-profit agency purportedly sent municipalities letters, but they admit they might have missed some municipalities. said Tynan. The letter said if municipalities already provide curbside garbage service, they would offer an incentive to pick up recycling as well, and drop it off at a depot which can be up to 60 km away. Or, municipalities can choose to be a depot. CFO Rob Richards and CAO Tynan estimated the incentive could be $21,000, but that is only an estimate as no exact numbers for the incentive have been given. RDCK staff are recommending to board to say no to the financial incen-
tives, but they are also saying that RDCK will no longer provide recycling services as of May 2014. “That’s forcing us to look at what [MMBC] offering us,” Tynan said. Option one: the Village takes the incentive and offers curbside recycling, but the distance to a depot is still unknown, but up to 60 km. And products such as glass and some plastics will not be eligible for the service. Option two: The Village has a depot in town, but a penalty for dirty containers could reduce the amount of the incentive, increasing costs to the Village. According to legislated standard, if contamination of containers is greater than three per cent, depots will be penalized, and the penalty can be up to the amount of the incentive. Option three: the Village says no curbside recycling nor a depot, contractors who may answer an RFP might have to deliver to a depot further than 60 km. “We need to have the decision-making time delayed,” said the CAO. She
What will rural residents do when the recycling bins in Nakusp are gone? Claire Paradis/Arrow Lakes News had been told this was absolutely not possible because the Minister of Environment was committed to the May 2014 rollout date. “It goes against every principle of local government being prudent in decision making,” Tynan told council. “They’re asking you to make a decision without all of the information.” There were concerns raised that the contracts with MMBC seemed one-sided. “Philosophically this is wrong. The product stewardship program was supposed to shift responsibility on to producers, it’s now on us,” said Coun. Mueller. In a special meeting, Nakusp council voted to adopt the curbside incentive and service.
RDCK rejects recycling program incentive Greg nesteroff Black Press
The Regional District of Central Kootenay board voted unanimously Thursday to reject financial incentives to collect printed paper and packaging on behalf of industry. That was based on a staff recommendation suggesting key information is missing and the offer won’t pay for requirements to fence and
staff existing recycling depots. Presently most of the regional district’s 27 depots lack fencing, staffing, or both. It’s estimated upgrading and manning them would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars — and some would close or see their hours reduced. “We could not possibly operate that system with the incentives offered,” acting resource recovery manager Raymond Gaudart said.
“If we accepted, we would simply be committing ourselves to a taxpayer subsidy which goes against the very principles of extended producer responsibility.” However, Gaudart said residents presently receiving curbside pickup will continue to do so, whether from local government or private contractor. When the cost of recycling printed paper and packaging shifts
to industry next May, industry stewardship group Multi-Material BC will be in charge of collecting recycling fees from businesses and distributing the money to local governments and contractors. Gaudart said by turning the offer down, they’re leaving it up to that agency to provide a depot system, but no one knows what it would look like. “We don’t have details of what
they consider reasonable access for our residents. You can’t commit yourself to a contract that hasn’t got the key terms. Saying no is the only answer given the information we have.” Local governments have until Monday to decide — the same day the Union of BC Municipalities convention opens, with the new
See Recycling page 5
Nakusp senior safe home after night in woods Claire paradis Arrow Lakes News
After a day and a night spent out in the woods, Peter Arends is back home in Nakusp safe and sound. The 77-year-old man had left his wife Etsuko at 8 a.m. on the morning of Thursday, Sept. 12 to go check on a friend’s cabin near
Halcyon Hot Springs and then go mushroom picking. On a whim, Arends decided to cross to the west side of the lake and hunt for mushrooms near Mount Odin. Unfortunately, his pickup truck died on a forest service road, leaving him stranded. Arends, a diabetic, was in need of insulin, and food which he didn’t
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have with him. At home, the RCMP and Search and Rescue had been called out to look for him, searching known mushroom picking areas. Arends said he could hear the helicopters to the south of him, but couldn’t see them. At 2:30 a.m. the search was suspended. With no traffic passing by and
after walking to look for help, Arends spent the night in his vehicle, and set out walking the next morning, making his way to the highway. “I bet I walked over a hundred kilometres on gravel roads,” said Arends on Saturday morning. At last, a man from Salmon Arm picked him up and took him to the
ferry at Shelter Bay. Arends said it was probably clear he wasn’t in good shape, and the crew called for an ambulance to take the elderly man to the hospital. After being treated in the hospital, Arends was released and sent home. A good end to Friday the 13th.
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