Five years after a study found that a single garbage dump could service Creighton and its neighbours, landfill regionalization appears far off the radar in northern Saskatchewan.
While the Saskatchewan government is urging communities to consider developing regional landfills, it seems more a priority for provincial bureaucrats than civic officials.
“The northern communities simply don’t have the money to pay for any kind of regionalization at all,” said Matt Heley, research and communications officer for New North, an advocacy organization representing northern Saskatchewan municipalities.
In 2009, New North and the province commissioned an independent study on the feasibility of closing all existing dumps in northern Saskatchewan and replacing them with three regional landfills.
The study recommended a single landfill be built about 20 kilometres east of Creighton to service Creighton, Denare Beach, Pelican Narrows, Sandy Bay and Deschambault Lake. Flin Flon was also made aware of the study.
Costly amount
Annual capital and operating costs were estimated at nearly $700,000, a costly amount for small communities, particularly since provincial funding support for landfills does not, according to Heley, include capital expenses.
Nonetheless, the study cited several benefits to landfill regionalization, including improved waste diversion and environmental protection – key issues for governments in an era of growing regulations.
Indeed some see regionalization as the answer to the fact that many Saskatchewan landfills – including those of Creighton and Denare Beach – do not always fully comply with environmental and safety requirements.
A provincial inspection of the Creighton dump in July 2013 found the municipality failed to fulfill three obligations: retrieve litter that has blown off site, ensure there is no standing water in the trench and provide an annual landfill report to the government.
Meanwhile, a July 2012 inspection of the Denare Beach landfill uncovered one violation, as annual reports for the refuse site had not been submitted.
More recent reports from Creighton and Denare Beach have not been posted on the province’s public-disclosure website.
Heley said he has no serious concerns with either landfill, saying they are likely comparable to “good” dump sites in southern Saskatchewan.
He said regulations around landfills are not onerous – there just aren’t enough municipal dollars to go around and other civic projects take precedence.
A provincial spokesperson said problems requiring attention at northern landfills relate to unauthorized burning, animal management plans, proper cover and compaction of garbage, and and site security, among others.
All findings of non-compliance are handled on a case by case basis, the spokesperson said, adding that violations are prioritized and municipalities given a timeframe to rectify the issues.
While a regional landfill for the Creighton area is viewed as unaffordable now, Heley said that could change in the future.
He said he does not see regionalization as an urgent matter for Denare Beach and that Creighton’s landfill still has plenty of capacity.
Indeed according to the Town of Creighton’s official planning report, the town’s landfill is expected to last until at least 2033 and longer if the site is compacted.
The best that can be hoped for to bring all northern landfills up to par, Heley said, is a process of “very gradual improvements over time.”
The provincial spokesperson summed up Saskatchewan’s goal for landfills as ensuring they are constructed, operated and closed in a manner that mitigates potential threats posed to human health and the environment.
The province will continue working with municipalities to ensure they are aware of landfill requirements and options that exist to conform to this objective, the spokesperson added.
Flin Flon issue
Across the border, potential landfill regionalization has also become a hot-button issue in Flin Flon.
City council has expressed concerns over perceived pressure from the province to move toward a regional dump, possibly in The Pas, when the local landfill runs its course.
While he mentioned no specific estimate, Mayor George Fontaine said in 2012 that transferring Flin Flon’s garbage south would be “totally unaffordable.”
Though both the Saskatchewan and Manitoba governments support the development of regional landfills, neither province mandates the practice.
Findings
A 2009 report compiled by P. Machibroda Engineering Ltd. of Saskatoon concluded that a single landfill could service Creighton, Denare Beach, Pelican Narrows, Deschambault Lake and Sandy Bay.
It suggested the landfill be located off of Highway 106, about 20 kilometres east of Creighton, though it also said a second landfill near Pelican Narrows should be considered if First Nations were to participate.
The report said that garbage bins could be placed at transfer stations in each community. The accumulated trash would then be regularly transported to the regional refuse site.
As of 2008, there were 89 known landfills in northern Saskatchewan, including 30 operated by municipalities, 29 by outfitters and 30 by other owners such as resorts, camps and lodges, according to the report.
The report found that the benefits of landfill regionalization include reduced overall costs, improved waste diversion, better environmental protection and a reduction in liabilities.
