HAMILTON The appointment of Peter Crockett to the Waste Diversion Ontario board may look good for the City of Hamilton, but is likely to be a disappointment to other Ontarians, said Gus Oliveira, president of CUPE Local 5167.
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) has submitted four names to the provincial environment minister to be members of the board. The list includes Crockett, Hamiltons General Manager of Transportation, Operations & Environment Department.
Diverting waste away from landfills is an important concern for people in this province, Oliveira said. It seems a contradiction that AMO is putting forward the name of a manager who is pushing privatization for his own municipalitys recycling program.
City staff have suggested that Third Sector Recycling be partially or fully privatized. CUPE Local 5167, which represents municipal workers as well as those at Third Sector, wants the city to take over the program instead.
Whether its in water, transportation, garbage collection or other services, privatization has proved to be a boondoggle that costs more for taxpayers, threatens the quality of service and removes operations from public scrutiny, Oliveira said. He pointed to Hamiltons current experiment with private curbside garbage collection as one example.
Councillors said the curbside collection experiment would be a one-off, Oliveira said. Yet city staff under Peter Crockett are pushing the same option for recycling. Will he be promoting privatization for the whole province as a member of the Waste Diversion Ontario board?
CUPE will continue to urge the city to keep recycling as a quality, public service in Hamilton, Oliveira said.
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For more information:
Gus Oliveira, President, CUPE Local 5167,
905-522-0917
Mike Stokes, CUPE National Representative,
905-575-5411
Pat Daley, CUPE Communications,
416-616-6142 (cell)
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) has submitted four names to the provincial environment minister to be members of the board. The list includes Crockett, Hamiltons General Manager of Transportation, Operations & Environment Department.
Diverting waste away from landfills is an important concern for people in this province, Oliveira said. It seems a contradiction that AMO is putting forward the name of a manager who is pushing privatization for his own municipalitys recycling program.
City staff have suggested that Third Sector Recycling be partially or fully privatized. CUPE Local 5167, which represents municipal workers as well as those at Third Sector, wants the city to take over the program instead.
Whether its in water, transportation, garbage collection or other services, privatization has proved to be a boondoggle that costs more for taxpayers, threatens the quality of service and removes operations from public scrutiny, Oliveira said. He pointed to Hamiltons current experiment with private curbside garbage collection as one example.
Councillors said the curbside collection experiment would be a one-off, Oliveira said. Yet city staff under Peter Crockett are pushing the same option for recycling. Will he be promoting privatization for the whole province as a member of the Waste Diversion Ontario board?
CUPE will continue to urge the city to keep recycling as a quality, public service in Hamilton, Oliveira said.
-30-
For more information:
Gus Oliveira, President, CUPE Local 5167,
905-522-0917
Mike Stokes, CUPE National Representative,
905-575-5411
Pat Daley, CUPE Communications,
416-616-6142 (cell)