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For a number of years, Ottawa city councils have chosen to turn a blind eye to dealing with the inevitability that our current landfill someday will reach capacity. It appeared this council finally was going to address the issue with a long-term solution.
Instead, it came up with a bag limit as the “solution” to extend the lifespan of the Trail Road site. This is a cockamamie, inequitable idea that will be almost impossible to police. There will be inevitable illegal dumping, or usurping neighbours’ unused bag limit, etc. That’s not to say reducing the amount of garbage generated isn’t a critical and necessary step, apart from the Trail Road capacity challenge.
Compounding this issue, council will add the extra costs to hire new garbage police, and, rather than take advantage of any capacity extension, general manager of public works Alain Gonthier announced the bag limit has moved the costly decision of an eventual alternative to, or replacement of, the landfill “down the road.”
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Considering the lead time required to develop and deliver any solution, this is the very same action that has put the city’s waste disposal into an almost-crisis situation. Delay will eventually do so again. We’ll also mention the obvious: An expensive solution now will only be even more expensive when (if) a future council ever does deal with it.
This decision to delay making a choice on, and starting development of, an alternative now is a spineless, gutless and totally irresponsible abdication of duty by this council. Shame.
MIKE ALAIN
OTTAWA
NOISE COMPLAINTS?
So the convoy protest disrupted the lives of the those in downtown Ottawa. Well, take a drive out Richmond Road to the end of the western parkway with your windows wide open and experience the dust, noise and traffic delays that have been assaulting citizens during the day and, at times, night for four years of Transitway construction.
What you won’t feel or see is the constant noise from the blasting through all that rock. Who sided with those “poor Ottawa residents,” Mr. Watson?
DOUG ROBINSON
Ottawa resident for more than 70 years; now, thankfully … MERRICKVILLE
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