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CUPE 241 has warned that Guelph’s environmentally friendly waste collection could be sacrificed if it’s awarded to a private company.

Brad Kelloway, president of CUPE 241, said the city has put out requests for bids from private companies for waste collection.

Guelph’s director of Environmental Services James Etienne said the city is only comparing quotes due to budget limitations. He said the city would consider contracting out only if a private company could do a better job than the current publicly delivered service.

Sounds exactly the same as the situation in Winnipeg before the contracts were awarded in the north and south ends: it was just a matter of testing the waters. Perhaps Guelph needs to take a careful look at the situation in Winnipeg and take a lesson or two about cost savings in a private bid and cost increases once a contract is signed.

Go to http://www.cupe.ca/www/media/17960 for more information.