> Pennachetti to receive NEYA Lifetime Achievement Award Pg. 10 >WN Ag Society hosts skate, sort of Pg. 3 > Coldest Night set for Feb. 24 Pg. 5 > Get Heritage Art contest entries ready Pg. 6 Thursday, February 1, 2018 Vol. 6 Issue 39
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Waste collection gets cleaned up By Mike Williscraft NewsNow Niagara’s waste collection service has been getting dumped on for weeks, but the corner has been turned on rectifying problems. At the Jan. 15 meeting of Grimsby council, Mayor Bob Bentley updated aldermen on some of the measures taken to get the waste and recycling collection service back on track. Much of the issues which led to serious delays across Niagara were, in large part, caused by staff shortages and mechanical failures, said Bentley. He said an update was given at the Region’s Public Works Committee which cited part-time staff quitting during the stretch of harsh cold as a contributing factor. “If you’re making minimum wage and you could work inside or outside in -20 while on a truck going 20 kph..?” noted Bentley. He added that regional officials were told the fleet size was
to be increased by 40 per cent and additional drivers were brought in to support the catch-up. “I believe they are caught up across Niagara Region,” said Bentley. Noting the operational vehicles got down to a half dozen and catch-up was also slowed by landfills closing at 7 p.m. and not open on Mondays, he added, “We’ll see how this goes.” Council also discussed the decision of regional council when the waste management contract was awarded. To save money, regional officials approved a seven-year contract and the lack of ongoing capital investment in vehicles was cited as magnifying the problem. Age of the vehicles, combined with freezing lines and blown motors created a “perfect storm”. Last year, Niagara Region opted to extend Emterra’s waste removal contract, which was to expire in 2018, to 2021.
Attention getter Lisa Allsop of Truly Yoga starts a children’s yoga session at Grimsby Public Library’s Literacy Day events with a little exercise to get the kids excited. The activity was one of many at the library on Saturday. For more details, please turn to Page 2. Williscraft - Photo