Image

April 16, 2015

 

It may soon cost residents to use the Petrolia composting site.

Director of Operations Mike Thompson is considering a user pay system for composting as one of the ways to raise revenue in his department.

The plan would have to be approved by council, but Thompson is suggesting the hours at the site would be reduced to 8:30 am to 12 pm Saturdays and Wednesdays from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm. That would save just over $1,200 a year.

A new contract for mulching and chipping would save $6,000.

But the biggest revenue generator would be a user pay system. While the details are still in the planning stages, Thompson suggests selling season passes for $30 or charging $5 per load. With about 4,440 car trips each year, Thompson estimates that would generate about $45,000 in revenue.

There were some concerns about the plan. “When you cut down a tree on Saturday, you don’t think about coming to town hall (ahead of time) to get a pass,” says Councilor Joel Field.

Town staff suggests staff on site would not turn composters away but instead give them a form to bring to town hall later.

Field adds the plan will likely simply lead to more brush at the curb.

And while Councilor Ross O’Hara understands the need for revenue, he’s worried with raising taxes, and water and sewage rates, a new fee for composting may be too much. “I’m concerned about the fees,” he says “we all pay taxes.”

 

 

Share This

Image
Front Page

Bluewater Health shouldn’t have been collecting SINs says privacy commissioner report

June 18, 2025

Heather Wright/The Independent Bluewater Health had no legal reason to collect Social Insurance Numbers from its patients. That information is contained in a just released report by Francisco Woo, an investigator in the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner. Woo’s 35-page report examines whether Bluewater Health, its IT provider TransForm Shared Services and the four other regional hospitals affected

Read More

Image
Front Page

Bluewater Health should have been clear about ‘hostile encryption and its impact’ after cyber attack

June 18, 2025

Information and Privacy Commission report says patient data lock down by hackers ‘overshadows the scale of data’ stolen and sold on the dark web Heather Wright/The Independent Ontario’s Information Privacy Commissioner says Bluewater Health should have notified every single patient whose data was locked down, but not released, that their information was affected during the October 2023 cyber hack .

Read More

Image
Front Page

Conservation foundation closes Greenhill Garden

June 18, 2025

Heather Wright/The Independent Overwhelmed by expenses, lack of workers, theft of equipment and homelessness encampments, the St. Clair Region Conservation Foundation has closed a Wilkesport landmark. Greenhill Gardens – a once privately-owned oasis in rural St. Clair Township – closed Monday. The gardens were cultivated by Joy Robson for years. She and her husband, Bill, allowed people to come and

Read More

Image
Front Page

St. Clair gas power plant plans major expansion

June 17, 2025

Heather Wright/The Independent Invenergy wants to power up the St. Clair Energy Centre across from NOVA Chemicals on Petrolia Line. Officials say they’re planning to build a new turbine at the site, increasing the power generation by about 50 per cent. The provincial government says Ontario will need about 75 per cent more power by 2050 so it’s encouraging more

Read More