Holyrood council goes rank over ERSB’s handling of bulk garbage collection
By Mark Squibb
Members of Holyrood council say they don’t yet have a firm date when residents can expect the Eastern Regional Service Board (ERSB) to collect bulk garbage, and residents deserve better.
Councillor Steve Winsor was the first to broach the subject at this week’s meeting, noting some residents have already begun putting bulk garbage out on the side of the road.
“They haven’t provided a specific date for us, but they’re saying it’s mid-to-late August (for collection),” said Winsor. “Last year when we had it, it was basically still winter, there was snow on the ground, and now we’re going to be almost into the fall by the time we get our garbage collected.”
Winsor suggested staff make a social media post to inform residents that council has been in touch with the ERSB and is awaiting more information.
“It is becoming extremely frustrating for residents,” said Mayor Gary Goobie, adding that residents are having trouble getting an answer from the service board, and some have in turn pointed their fingers at the town.
“We have nothing to do with that decision,” said Goobie. “Personally, I’m frustrated myself because as you said earlier, we got the shaft last year when they did it in March, when we had snow down, high winds – not very conducive conditions to put out bulk garbage.”
Goobie, citing an e-mail from the ERSB, also expressed dissatisfaction with the board’s intention to notify residents of the bulk collection date, once it’s set, via social media rather than traditional means.
“’As soon as we have the dates, you will receive an e-mail, our website will be updated, and notices will be sent out on ‘X’ (which is the old Twitter), and Voyent,’” said Goobie, reading from an ERSB e-mail to the Town. “I don’t even know what Voyent is.”
Voyent is a notification system the ERSB uses to send alerts directly to residents’ phones. The board paid between $10,000 and $12,000 to get the system up-and-running this past April, in addition to paying an annual subscription fee. Goobie was informed later in the meeting that the Town of Holyrood is also about to sign on with Voyent.
Goobie said residents have been unable to make appointments with the ERSB to dispose of their bulk garbage and are dealing with an accumulation of it since March.
“My concern is that people are going to get too frustrated, they’re going to just put their garbage out,” said Goobie. “And there are places now in Holyrood that there’s been bulk garbage going out on the road in large volumes. Now, as that accumulates over the summer, we have tourists coming into our town, we have visitors, and not only that, for ourselves, what’s it do to our pride to see bulk garbage out on the side of the road all summer long?”
Goobie said a recent e-mail from the ERSB suggested the board is only now requesting quotes from contractors for bulk garbage collection.
“Now, there’s something amiss here,” said Goobie. “I’m not going to try and dissect what’s going on, but I can smell that there’s a problem and a concern here… We are paying for a service, and we are not getting the service we rightfully deserve. We deserve better.”
Councillor Bruce King added his own two-cents worth later in the meeting, arguing the Town pays for bulk garbage removal, but will have to pay again if people start dumping their garbage in the woods.
King also criticized the board’s booking process for bulk garbage collection, which requires details on the items to be collected.
“If you stayed up all night and thought about it, you couldn’t make this thing any more complicated than what it is,” said King. “For lack of a better word, its insane… they’ve made this thing so complicated, no one can figure it out, and I don’t think they can figure it out. It’s unfortunate.”