Sudbury's new garbage bylaw is bad for shift workers, residents say

Morning North17:00Garbage bylaw phone-in with Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger

We invited you to talk trash with the mayor of Greater Sudbury Brian Bigger. Mayor Bigger was our guest for a phone-in related to the city's new garbage bylaw. There was no lack of callers willing to speak on the issue.

Sudbury isn't the first community to restrict garbage to deal with problem bears.

Timmins has had a bylaw in place for years — but it lets people put their garbage out the night before as long as it's in a sealed container.

Mayor Steve Black said there has been a noticeable decrease in bear issues since his city's garbage rules came into place.

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But he acknowledges "It's always tough in communities like Sudbury and Timmins that have a large shift work population in the mines and other industries."

"There's some balance to drafting the bylaws. But I think most residents agree that having bears in the neighbourhood is not something they want," Black said.

Sudbury's new garbage bylaw — which restricts garbage from going to the curb until the morning of pick-up — was supposed to take effect today.

But city councillors received so many complaints from citizens, they voted not to enforce it, and city staff have been told to look for other options.

Black said enforcement of bylaws is a big portion of influencing change.

"If you're going to develop a bylaw that you have no way — either for resources or shift schedules — of enforcing then there's really no point in putting in place that bylaw."

'We are a city of shift workers'

And there are some Sudburians who say the city's new bylaw won't work. The new rules stipulate that garbage can only be put out between 5 a.m. and 7 am on garbage day.

Dann Kingsley and his wife, both of whom work in emergency services, said he understands the purpose of the bylaw and "if everybody worked 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, that would be awesome."

Kingsley said asking many Sudburians to be awake within a two hour time period in order to put out their garbage is unfair.

"We are a city of shift workers. Between the mines, the hospital, even the taxation centre runs night shifts," he said.

"What's the difference between putting my garbage out, which sits next to my house, or putting it at the end of my driveway 45 feet away?"

Black added that using bear-proof garbage cans is a big help.

"With the new plastic bins ... there is a lower number of bear encounters reported."