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After a lengthy discussion on Thursday, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen Board of Directors approved a seven-year contract for curbside and recycling services, which will see a substantial price increase for residents.
The curbside and recycling contract, which includes mixed food and yard waste, will come into effect mid-way through 2025.
RDOS staff evaluated and presented other methods of providing the same services at a lower cost to the board, which included establishing fully-automated or semi-automated in-house garbage and recycling services. However, the recommendation was to stick with Waste Connections.
The new contract also brings with it a $2.5 million cost to purchase three new bins for each household to be compatible with the fully-automated garbage trucks that WCC is switching to.
“I realize that the contract cost is materially high. All three are high, and one of the things that I thought long and hard is, okay, what can we do to mitigate this increase? I’m recommending for those areas—and the majority of you have a one year billing—rather than continue one year billing, I’m recommending that we go quarterly so that increase doesn’t come out of the same check. It’s split out over the year,” RDOS CAO Jim Zaffino said.
If the board decides curbside collection comes in house, staff would need to get to work immediately to build the service before the contract with the Waste Connections expires in June of 2025.
While many directors expressed interest in building an in house service, the risks, unforeseen costs, and time it would take to establish the system deterred others.
Penticton Director Isaac Gilbert said while he is in support of going in house to have garbage pickup, he would be supporting the contract.
“I don’t believe that we have enough time and flexibility, and there’s too much risk involved in a year to create a brand-new department with staff and trucks,” he added. “I am all for RDOS going with the contract and working towards after the contract is done for an in house service.”
Zaffino answered that he wanted to make sure that the board knows that he can confirm that it can happen and the in house service would be ready by next year.
Penticton Mayor Julius Bloomfield added that he felt Waste Connections can operate at a much lower cost compared to what the RDOS could do as an individual operator.
“If we think we can outperform this company and their 13 and a half per cent profit, then I think we might have a nasty wake up call, and I just like to see some rational thinking going into the decision that we’re about to make.”
Okanagan Falls Director Matt Taylor added that from his perspective, choosing the Waste Connections bid will give them the most flexibility for the future.
“Because at least you can get out of that in five to seven years, if you want to, you can plan. You can spend the next five years planning something and having a real, rock solid business plan,” Taylor said.
“I would love to look at in house, if that’s what people want to look at, but I don’t want to do it with the amount of time we’ve had to prepare as the basis for it, because we’re going to live with it. We’re not living it with it for just the next five years. We’re living with it for good.”
The RDOS did receive four bids for the RFP, two of which met the basic criteria, with Waste Connections Canada being the lower-cost option.
“I don’t like the increase. I’m not going to pretend like I like the increase. We’re having to go to brand new bins that are going to cost my residents money, and we’re looking at options for that, I still think the first one is the right option,” Keremeos Mayor Jason Wiebe said.
Many of the directors commented on how substantial these increases are, especially to residents on fixed and low income.
“We have to be mindful that these are expenses that people have to pay, and those on fixed incomes will be making choices between what bills to pay. This isn’t a choice of a bill that they get to pay,” Naramata Director Adrienne Fedrigo added.
RDOS Board Chair Mark Pendergraft said he believes it would be best to go in house.
“What we’ve got now isn’t perfect either. There’s misses, there’s times where they don’t come for half a day late. It’s not perfect. Is that going to happen if it comes in house, probably for the first little while, it will be what you would call a bumpy ride for a bit. It’s not going to be a whole lot bumpier than what we’re getting now,” he added.
“It’s not a perfect system, and we’re paying huge dollars for it. There is potential to save substantial dollars. And I think if you don’t do it now, seven years from now, probably none of us will be sitting around this table any longer, and I don’t know that it will happen.”
After the motion to bring services in house was defeated, Cawston Director George Bush expressed his frustration.
“I know you people in the city that have good jobs and everything. You just don’t understand the rural problems we have, and it’s really showing through, and I’m really disappointed,” he said.
Bloomfield clarified that his decision is based on what he felt is a good for the Regional District as a whole in response.
“I think we’re here to make rational decisions for the good of the regional district as a whole, and and I think that safety and certainty is the vital parts of those decisions, and we were faced with something that was too uncertain for our future.”
The motion to award the contract to Waste Connections Canada passed with Directors Bush, Fedrigo, Tim Roberts, Pendergraft, Rick Knodel, Subrina Monteith, Spencer Coyne and Bob Coyne opposed.
The RDOS also approved the transition from annual billing to quarterly.
The estimates for curbside pick-up increases throughout the RDOS are expected to be between 127 percent to 237 percent.
The percentage and real number per year increases are as follow according to the report to the RDOS board:
- Electoral Area A (Rural Osoyoos): $147.30 in 2024 to $334.21 in 2025, an increase of 126.89 per cent.
- Electoral Area B (Cawston and Lower Similkameen): $150.11 to $380.03, an increase of 153.16 per cent.
- Electoral Area C (Rural Oliver, Willowbrook): From $162.98 to $383.29, an increase of 135.17 per cent.
- Electoral Areas D (Skaha East), E (Naramata), F (Greater West Bench, Rural Summerland, Okanagan Lake West) and I (Skaha West, Kaleden, Apex: From $154.83 to $382.94, an increase of 147.33 per cent.
- Red Wing residents: From $157.17 to $382.74, an increase of 143.52 per cent.
- Okanagan Falls: From $138.12 to $465.09, an increase of 236.73 per cent.
- Electoral Area G (Rural Keremeos, Hedley, Olalla): From $175.44 to $441.14, an increase of 151.45 per cent.
- Village of Keremeos: From $132.70 to $368, an increase of 177.31 per cent.
Information about curbside garbage and recycling services will be distributed via RDOS web and social media channels, including the curbside collection web page online here.
The board will also be looking at more flexible options for curbside pick-up, which will be discussed at a future meeting.
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