Landfill Opponents Respond To RM No Vote
Opponents happy with the outcome
“We are happy it’s a fact we’ve won the battle but the war is far from over,” Gordon Knox spokesperson for a group of concerned citizens opposed to the new landfill’s location said.
“We’re taking it as a small victory but we’re still expecting some kickback. I don’t expect the City is going to look for another location. They’ve spent a lot of money in this land deal and I think they want to stick to this location.”
Knox was commenting about Tuesday afternoon’s surprise vote by the RM of Moose Jaw to deny the City of Moose Jaw’s discretionary use permit to construct a new landfill in the RM.
A battle he sees to continue and move into the political realm with RM council and provincial government votes later this fall.
The location of the proposed landfill is one mile directly north of the intersection of the Trans Canada and 9th Ave NW.
Knox said a group of RM ratepayers had attended the RMs to give a presentation and let them know the group was still strongly opposed.
“We were there to make sure we were on their minds. We weren’t going away and we just wanted to reconfirm we were still a hard no on this issue…we wanted them to know we haven’t softened.”
The group attended despite being in the critical period of weed spraying.
The present landfill - MJ Independent file photo
RM Taking A Vote Came As A Surprise
He said the group was unaware the vote would be called and left to return to farming.
“I don’t know if they had planned to do the vote and they did say (city manager) Maryse (Carmichael) and (city engineer) Bevan (Harlton) attended the meeting later. They weren’t there when we were there. I don’t know if they knew there was going to be a vote or why they were there is a mystery to us,” he said.
He said the group had a feel for what the RM was going to do “but we didn’t know what direction they were going to go.”
Knox said the RM Council asked them “if we do this this way and vote no that there is the possibility of circumstances like annexation.”
He said the ratepayers group said they made it known the group was strongly in favour of the RM voting no.
Knox said the aspect of annexation came up in a meeting the group had with the City during the winter.
“They kicked that word around almost immediately so we knew that was a possibility. The RM kind of thought maybe they could deal with them (the City of Moose Jaw) thinking if we do say yes that they might have some say in the project,”
City Not Discussing Land Deal With RM Key To The No Vote
Knox said one of the RM councillors from the very start did this (land deal) without any input from the RM.
“They kind of sprung it on them (the proposed location) the end of November or beginning of December…we know they were looking for a site for at least a year but they (RM Council) had no idea there was a deal in the works.”
Knox said what the City has said regarding consultation and negotiations with the RM is not true.
“The RM said there was no consideration from the City in the land deal with the RM. They didn’t bring them up to steam.”
“The City never brought the RM into any of the negotiations so the guy (RM councillor) said why would you think if we said yes they would come to us and ask us to be part of the project,” Knox said.
He said even if the City did ask the RM to be part of the process the feeling was “that would fade away and the City would say this is the project and by the way this is what’s happening.”
Bought Time For Landfill Opponents
Despite the vote perhaps having the City move towards annexation Knox said the timing of the RM vote is key to stopping the proposal.
Knox felt the RM made the right decision “because they should be on the ratepayers side and protecting the agricultural base that they have.”
He is hoping the City reconsider expanding east of the present location and make use of recycling technologies to limit the overall impact of the site.
“At the new site they have to dig. They have to put liners in. They have to do all of the same thing at the new site that they could do directly east of the old site.”
Knox questions the proposed amount of land the new site would use - 390.23 acres - versus the 45 acres of the present landfill.
“What is there plan? That is such a vast amount of land to designate as a garbage dump.”
“They still have the option of that guy who wants to recycle all of our garbage…that still is an option that why wouldn’t you at least consider that option?”
Despite the City’s hesitation to take a serious look at a proposal to recycle 100 percent of the City’s garbage. Knox thinks the City should do a more in-depth look at it.
It’s an option the City has looked at and said is not the route they want to go as the technology is not being used in Canada and too much of a risk for failure.
At a post Council press Carmichael said the City looked at the proposal but might be too good to be true.
Elections, Elections and Elections
The timing of the vote is something Knox sees as on the proposed landfill opponents’ side.
“We’re moving into an election cycle and I think if we can get some people on Council you know some new blood on Council that don’t like this issue we might be able to stop it,”
Knox said he didn’t know for certain but he thought the provincial government would get involved in any annexation attempt.
The province is expected to call a provincial election later this fall so it could become a potential hot button issue.
The summer fast approaching also helps as many officials will be away on holidays and not working slowing the process down further.
“It does buy us some time going into this election and we’ll see what happens.”
The City of Moose Jaw released a brief statement on their position regarding the RMs voting no on the discretionary use application.
The statement that the RM for working with the City and finding a solution “is critical because the ability to safely manage waste at our existing landfill decreases every year. We are currently reviewing options on how to move forward.”
The opponents of the proposed landfill are not just simply opposed to the proposed location, but they would also like to see better stewardship of landfill practises to help protect agricultural lands.