P3
JUNE 2014 www.pgfreepress.com | newsline: 250.564.0005
TEACHERS
DISTRICT:
Provincial recycling plan comes under fire
RALLY
Bill PHILLIPS/Free Press About 250 teachers rallied in Prince George May 29 following a day-long strike, as part of the ongoing labour dispute between teachers and the province.
District keeps recycling alive Bill Phillips editor@pgfreepress.com It took a compromise suggested by Chilako RiverNechako director Lara Beckett to keep the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George in the recycling business for another year. That, according to a regional district report, will keep about 800 tonnes of recyclable material from being landfilled. “Recycling is the right thing to do and we want to see a service remain,” Beckett told the regional board May 15. “People want to do this, they want to do more. It’s about our regional district and how do we provide a service that residents really want.” The issue surfaced as the board debated whether to renew a contract with Cascades Recovery to operate the 17 drop depot locations currently offered throughout the regional district. The catalyst for the debate was the fact that Multi-Material BC will be offering curbside recycling to
most City of Prince George residents in September, leaving city representatives on the regional board reticent to committing city dollars to the drop depots past that time. The board was given three options: Let the current contract with Cascades expire at the end of May, extend it until the end of September, or extend it until May 31, 2015. The board had delayed a decision at its April meeting to allow staff to prepare more information, leaving it “under the gun,” to make a decision at its May meeting. The April decision caused a bit of a rift between rural and urban directors on the board. “Last month, all I could see was the end of rural recycling,” said Crooked River-Parsnip director Terry Burgess, who wrote a letter to the Free Press last month outlining his concerns. He said he has since talked with Mayor Shari Green and Coun. Cameron Stolz, who assured him that they were not going to abandon recycling in rural areas. City representatives were originally supportive of extending the contract until the end of September, however,
Stolz first offered a compromise of until the end of the fiscal year, December 31, which was supported by Green and city directors Murry Krause and Dave Wilbur. Rural representatives, however, favoured the May 31 extension as this would allow more time for the regional district to try to pressure the province to change legislation governing MMBC so it would have to offer services in rural areas as well. With a possible impasse looming, Beckett made the suggestion that the contract be extended until May 31, 2015 with the proviso that after December 31, it will be funded solely by the seven electoral areas and municipalities of Mackenzie, McBride, and Valemount. That will give the regional district time to devise a new funding system excluding Prince George and pressure the provincial government to improve the recycling legislation. “It’s still challenging,” said Green. “It’s a pass to MMBC, for a year they don’t have to worry about us. My concern is that they will feel the heat will be off.” With the contract extension, 10 of the drop depot bins located in the city will be moved to rural locations.
HIGH EFFICIENCY GAS FIREPLACE 4415 HOGSR2™
AMAZING HEAT OUTPUT & LOOK!
40
Years
Experience
NEW! • huge glass viewing area • tailor your look to accompany any architectural style or decor • choice of 3 colors of translucent crushed glass media • remote control ~ 6 adjustable Remote Control Included levels for fan, lights and flame Plus much more… A MUST SEE! Stop in today.
Your Indoor Y I d Weatherman W th
430 Third Avenue Prince George Phone: 1-250-562-6777 Fax: 1-250-562-6707 www.frasercanada.com
1-866-447-6777
WOOD FURNACES BY • CLAYTON • HOTBLAST • CADDY • SELKIRK CHIMNEYS WOOD STOVES BY • LOPI • REGENCY • ENERZONE • DROLET • QUADRA FIRE • OSBURN • NESTOR MARTIN • ARCHGARD GAS FIREPLACES BY • LOPI • TRAVIS • REGENCY • KINGSMAN • NAPOLEON • ARCHGARD • NESTOR MARTIN PELLET STOVES & INSERTS BY • QUADRA FIRE
2