SF Township Transitioning Responsibility for Blue Box Recycling to Producers

Wilma Kenny | Sep 27, 2023

Dave Gordon, Senior Advisor, Waste Diversion, AMO (Association of Municipalities of Ontario) made a presentation to South Frontenac Council at their September 20 meeting.

The presentation was about the process of transferring responsibility for recycling waste away from individual municipalities to the producers of waste (Coke, Proctor and Gamble, etc. or the first importer to Canada).

This province-wide transition has already been implemented in a number of municipalities with the goal of having all communities on board by 2025.

“The Blue Box program hasn’t really worked,” said Gordon; “Diversion is dropping, packaging is becoming increasingly complex and harder to deal with, costs are rising. Shared responsibility was a good way to begin, but now no one is fully accountable.

“A province-wide common collection system will expand to include all communities, residences, apartments, schools, long-term care facilities, and public spaces. It will also include an enhanced and standardized list of materials to be collected and recycled,” he said.

But there is also a list of sources that are not included in the new program: industrial or commercial properties, not-for-profit organizations, municipal buildings or facilities, daycares, places of worship, campgrounds, seasonal trailer parks, and commercial farms.

Kyle Bolton, Director of Public Services, said that in 2020 the township had made a commitment to transition in 2023, which clearly has not happened:

“We’ll have to decide how the Township will handle these issues. We will have to decide whether to opt in or out,” he said/

There followed some discussion of the processes that would be needed if South Frontenac were to opt out.

Mayor Vandewal said, “In the warm fuzzy offices of Toronto this (whole plan) may make sense, but the producers won’t want to work with every small Township!”

Councilor Pegrum said that transition would be a massive task, and the current timelines seemed very ambitious.

Gordon then said that he could provide connections to smaller communities that had already transitioned.

Later in the meeting, Public Works Manager Bolton noted that the blue box transition has been in process for some time and he hopes to hear back soon from municipalities who have taken it on, so he can bring update for Council in October with recommendations for transitioning, to assist in making further decisions.

Mayor Vandewal said he anticipates more pressure on our landfills.

“This won’t be a cost savings for the township,” Bolton responded. “We will no longer get recycling refunds, and will still be dealing with waste diversion, even if we lose the Blue box program.”

Short Term Rentals and By-law Enforcement

Clerk James Thompson provided a seven-page report on the updated By-law Enforcement Program and the statistics from this summer in relation to Short-term Rentals (STRs).

Beginning in July ’22, the Township increased the resources allocated to its by-law enforcement program, and improved collaboration between the Ontario Provincial Police and Frontenac Municipal Law Enforcement to better address “nuisance behaviour” in the Township.

The Administrative Monetary Penalty (AMP) has also been expanded, and now addresses the following By-laws: Devil Lake Causeway, Noise, Pool Fencing, Safe Properties, Trailer Licensing and Waste Management. Since then, Frontenac Municipal Law Enforcement has attended approximately 120 properties to investigate complaints related to the Safe Properties By-law, Trailer Licensing By-law and the Zoning By-law.

Following a review of the data collected from by-law enforcement and the STR survey, steps were taken, through social media posts and in the Frontenac News, to raise awareness and publicize the number for reporting a noise violation.

In April ’23, the Noise By-law was amended to make property owners directly responsible for any noise violations by occupants and users of their properties.

Between June 1 and August 30 this summer, 5 AMPs were issued in relation to noise complaints, and only one related to an STR.

(Residents may apply for noise By-law exemptions for specific outdoor events such as weddings. Later in the meeting, Council received a motion from Councillor Trueman asking staff to draft a proposal which would allow staff to directly exempt non-controversial requests for noise exemption during the summer, when Council meets only once a month.)

Also, in May’23, the Twp Waste Management By-law was amended to make the property owner responsible to ensure residents do not breach this by-law.

During this past spring and summer, the Clerk’s Department and the CAO met with various host compliance firms to gain a better picture of available services and the resources likely to be required to implement a host compliance platform and associated licensing by-law. During this process, they determined that there are approximately 175 to 200 STR’s operating in South Frontenac.

In their report to council on the matter, staff have concluded that the current bylaws should be sufficient to address ongoing problems. The report said that many of the concerns related to STRs also occur in relation to local residents; and the key element to enforcement of for residents to submit all by-law enforcement complaints to the township or the OPP as soon as possible.

However, staff also said they will monitor the situation to determine whether additional tools need to be implemented and will also work to increase community awareness of the By-law Enforcement Program. Additionally, they will continue collaboration with the OPP in addressing nuisance behaviour in the Township. A further update will come to Council next September.

Mayor Vandewal said, “We have had some positive comments on the actions we’ve taken, and we are making headway in the right direction; but residents with complaints still have to call when the problem is occurring.”

Secondary Dwellings

In keeping with evolving provincial guidelines concerning secondary dwellings, Council approved an application for an attached dwelling unit on Amy Road. Later in the meeting, Council passed a bylaw outlining requirements for secondary dwellings in the Township: considerations include locations on roads that are maintained year-round and accessible by Emergency Services, and demonstration of on-site water and sewage services with sufficient capacity for the additional dwelling unit. Also, the unit must be designed and located “in such a manner to avoid adverse impacts on the residential character of the property and the surrounding neighbourhood”. There were no questions or comments from Council.

Trousdale Enterprises Seeks Inverary Zoning Change

Public input was sought for a proposed lot addition and zone change adjacent to the current Home Hardware location on Perth Road in Inverary. The goal is to facilitate the development of a new building supply outlet on the subject property and permit the existing building to be used for other complimentary commercial uses. Council was assured that an assessment does not indicate need for a turn lane. There were no other questions from Council or the public. Mayor Vandewal commented “The more businesses we can create, the better it is for the Township.”

Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) Services

Council approved the installation of AVL services in the Township’s 19 plow trucks for a total cost of $44,817, from Trackmatics. This equipment will be connected to the plow and spreader controllers to monitor and record a truck’s location and performance in real time, allowing the Township to track assets and find efficiencies, investigate complaints, and provide documentation for legal claims.

As opposed to the service currently provided by Telus, Trackmatics provides information specific to winter maintenance such as plow up/down, spreader on/off, and material application rates which are crucial for the Township’s defence in legal claims and finding efficiencies in operations. Also, Central Frontenac, Frontenac Island, and North Frontenac are all using or converting to Trackmatics Inc. Having all the Townships in Frontenac County using one service provider would allow for future opportunities with County GIS integration.

In relation to climate considerations, accurate winter maintenance reports will allow the department to review material usage during a winter event. Using the right material with the right application rate at the right time during an event will help reduce salt and sand use without compromising the level of service.

Emergency Management Program

Staff has recommended that Council appoint an Emergency Designate for Mayor to the Municipal Emergency Control Group for the full term of Council. Councillor Pegrum was selected for the remainder of the current term.