A local property developer is tired of the city's high prices for disposing of waste.
J.P. Legault, a Timmins native and successful entrepeneur, spoke to council on Monday evening to raise the issue.
“I've been developing a lot of properties in the last ten years in Timmins, and one problem many contractors are running into is the tipping fees for contaminated waste in Timmins,” he said.
Legault said three years ago, he purchased a property at the corner of Cameron Street and Algonquin Boulevard, where he was left 'a big surprise' in the form of 50 to 80 tonnes of environmental waste.
“When I found out the tipping fees in Timmins for this are $75 dollars a tonne, it's cheaper for me to put this in a truck and send it to Sudbury for that cost,” he said.
Legault wants the bylaw amended.
“The cost is way too high. Why the $75 dollars? That's what I'm asking council”
He said he'd rather spend his money in Timmins than Sudbury.
“Bottom line, I am spending money here, there's lots more money being spent and there's many surprises underground. So from somebody's problem a long time ago, I picked up the tab and $75 bucks a tonne is unacceptable,” said Legault.
Councillor Mike Doody spoke about Legault's significant impact in the community and urged the rest of council to do whatever it can to help him.
Legault said he realizes the city needs to recover its incurred costs as well, but a compromise must be found.
“I'm not saying five dollars, or 25 dollars, I'm just saying if its costing me 50 dollars to throw it in a truck and send it to Sudbury and throw it in their dump, then 50 would probably be the number,” he said.
Mayor Steve Black said he's heard from other developers on the matter.
“He's not the only one who has said that its cheaper to put it in a truck and haul it out of town,” said Black.
Legault was encouraged to submit a report to city officials about the sites he is currently using for disposal, along with other relevant data.
Longtime Councillor Pat Bamford was convinced that years ago, when council set the price at $75 a tonne, it was very comparable with other Northern Ontario cities, like Sudbury.
“We didn't just take $75 out of a hat, so I'm looking forward to the report,” said Bamford.
The report is expected to be submitted later this week and should be discussed at a council meeting in the near future.
