Editor:
After reading the chief administrative officer John France's comments in the recent Coast Reporter article (Sept. 24) regarding the need to relocate the Sunshine Coast Regional District (tax-funded) recycling bins from the Gibsons Park Plaza Mall, I would like to comment that Gibsons Recycling Depot has never been contacted by Mr. France to determine if we could offer a solution or if we could save taxpayers' money, or if we could supply a temporary site for their bins. Therefore, has he eliminated a possible solution for the community?
Instead, Mr. France is requesting zoning changes for property in Gibsons, not zoned for recycling, to be changed and rezoned so the SCRD can continue to operate recycling, even though Gibsons Recycling Depot owns property zoned for recycling and offers those services already free to the public.
Mr. France says the "SCRD board does not want to contract out on a temporary basis," yet entering into a rental agreement with another property owner, like Sunnycrest Mall, would be a temporary contract and the current contract for processing and marketing recyclables now is on a temporary month to month basis.
If there are changes to the entire recycling landscape as Mr. France predicts, could that mean changes for unionized staff as well? Did recent SCRD budget cuts not cause staff relocation and change? But somehow with this recycling situation, such changes are impossible now?
I would like to reiterate that I said: "Gibsons Recycling Depot is offering ourselves to create a solution for this problem of the SCRD not having a recycling site in Gibsons," as stated in the article.
While the taxpayers await the results of local government's behind-the-scenes agreements and in-camera debates, we continue to offer recycling services for our community.
Barb Hetherington
Gibsons Recycling Depot
