Town and County councillors were talking trash last week at the quarterly joint meeting.
It was decided at the Landfill Committee Meeting on May 26 to recommend to Town and County councils changes to the opening days and hours. The main factor driving the proposed changes is the fact landfill workers have never had a Sunday off. Currently, the landfill is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. However, the committee is looking to change the days of operation from Tuesday to Saturday. On Tuesdays, the landfill would be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. from October to March, and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. from April to September. From Wednesday to Saturday, the hours of operation would be 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. year round. Being closed on a Sunday would allow workers to spend time with their families.
The extended hours during the summer months would allow users to dispose of any extra refuse that was collected during the two days the landfill is closed, which would especially come in handy for contractors.
Councillors were split as to whether they should support the proposed changes. It was decided that the proposal would be sent back to the Landfill Committee to come up with some alternatives in an effort to appease both the landfill employees and the residents who use the facility on Sundays. Mayor Brian Schulz was the only one to vote in favour of the changes.
“We are the only municipality around with its landfill open on Sundays,” Schulz said. “Why should we be any different and make our people work on Sundays, when they could be spending that time with their families.
“I can’t see this being an issue, and it works well in other communities. It would make the employees happy, they would continue to work hard, and it’s a way for us to encourage them to stay on as Town employees.”
Coun. Doug Drozd was in full agreement. He is an employee at the Co-op’s Home Centre, and knows full well what it’s like to work Sundays.
“It doesn’t do much for a family life,” Drozd said. “I would be a hypocrite to force others to work Sundays when I don’t like doing it myself.”
Coun. Bill Lane said since the proposed changes were made public, he has received a number of calls from residents who aren’t happy about losing Sundays to dump their garbage.
“Maybe we’re the ones doing something right,” he countered. “A lot of other people work Sundays, and it’s a day when a lot of people do yard work. Maybe during the winter months, the landfill doesn’t have to be open Sundays.”
County Reeve Bill Lee said the landfill has been operating with these hours for many years, and those hours need to be convenient for ratepayers. He said if the landfill is closed on Sundays, staff could expect to see garbage piled up at the gates come Monday mornings.
Coun. Don Smith was the one who tabled the motion to have the proposal brought back to the landfill committee to seek more alternatives. He said he likes the fact the landfill is open on Sundays, but he also respects the need of the employees to spend more time with their families.
“This is a touchy issue,” Smith said, and added that the proposed changes aren’t necessarily the right answer. He said the Town, which is the unit of authority for the landfill, could increase the amount of help at the landfill to better facilitate the working rotation.
