After multiple open and closed-door discussions, the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen voted on June 13 to go forward with a $2.3 million garbage contract.
That new contract Waste Connections Canada starts at $1 million above the RDOS current contract with the company, which expires in June of 2025, and will see increases over its seven-year term.
The contract will cover a biweekly collection of refuse and recycling, a weekly collection of food and yard waste and a yearly large item pick-up from the curbside for residents in every electoral area except Area H Rural Princeton. It also includes residents in the Village of Keremeos.
The RDOS is also going to have to spend $2.5 million to purchase three new bins for each household to be compatible with the fully-automated garbage trucks that WCC is switching to with the new contract.
The adopted contract from WCC, fully automated, was less than the $3 million a year for semi-automated weekly garbage and bi-weekly recycling and yard waste proposal from Emterra, but slightly more than the $2.2 million a year to keep the current collection schedule for fully automated with WCC.
Residents in the various regions that receive curbside pick-up through the RDOS can expect their garbage fees to go up from between 127 per cent to 237 per cent.
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 $337.41 in 2025, an increase of 127 per cent.
* Electoral Area B (Cawston and Lower Similkameen): $150.11 to $380.03, an increase of 153 per cent.
* Electoral Area C (Rural Oliver): From $162.98 to $383.29, an increase of 135 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 per cent.
* Red Wing residents: From $157.17 to $382.74, an increase of 144 per cent.
* Electoral Area G (Rural Keremeos, Hedley, Olalla): From $175.44 to $441.14, an increase of 151 per cent.
* Okanagan Falls: From $138.12 to $465.09, an increase of 237 per cent.
* Village of Keremeos: From $132.70 to $368.00, an increase of 177.31 per cent.
The report from RDOS staff recommended going with the contract based on the additional risk factors that would be inherent in going in-house, including risks with staffing numbers, vehicles and any unforeseen costs in the future.
"I think there's some history with things we've tried to negotiate as the RDOS regarding waste management, biosolids, that did not go very well," said RDOS Director and Keremeos Mayor Jason Wiebe. "I don't like the increase and I'm not going to pretend I like the increase or having to go to new bins that will cost my residents money, I still think the first option [WCC] is the right one."
The RDOS board had been presented with the contract in May but had delayed a decision to further review costs and the possibility of bringing the service in-house.
RDOS CAO Jim Zaffino confirmed multiple times on June 13 that marching orders were in place and that postings for staff positions they have in writing that they would have vehicles ready to go if that was the direction from the board.
It was not a unanimous decision. Instead, a vote was initially held to move to an in-house service, which would have seen smaller increases to garbage fees, ranging from 49 per cent to 97 per cent increases compared to what residents will pay in 2024.
Multiple directors expressed concerns about the lack of flexibility the contract gave for things like scheduling, and other directors were particularly concerned with the cost.
"We're getting to a place where maybe it was a mistake that Area G was brought into something that has become impossible for its residents," said Director Tim Roberts, who represents rural Keremeos and Olalla. "When we're looking at $441.14 a year, and I've got a high predominancy of people on fixed incomes, in a single-wide trailer in a small lot, people living on about $1,700 on CPP."
The RDOS Chair and Director for rural Osoyoos Mark Pendergraft noted the concerns from directors about how going in-house might be too much of a risk to take on with just a year to prepare, and that there might impacts to the service provided to residents.
"I realize that it's ambitious to try and get it down in this time frame, but what we've got now isn't perfect either," said Pendergraft. "There are misses. There are times when they don't come for half a day. Is that going to happen if it comes in-house? Probably, for the first little while.
"It's not a perfect system, and we're paying huge dollars for it."
The initial vote to go in-house was rejected, in a weighted vote, with a following vote to support the contract with WCC passing.
Director Roberts made a notice of motion following the vote to call for the exploration of more flexible options for curbside pick-up, which will be discussed at a future meeting.
