Sanitary concerns

Times Reporter   

 

Councillor Bob Sobol has been hearing a lot in the media about issues when it comes to flushing disposable wipes. They can plug pipes and causes serious infrastructure issues.  

“Apparently this issue is very serious in some of the larger municipalities and is causing a lot of headache for councils in regards to infrastructure,” said Sobol. 

He asked Jesse Parker, director of operations and engineering for the town, if this was something the town should be concerned about.

Parker said he has been approached by a group who is trying to form a North American-wide initiative to ban those materials from going into the sanitary systems. He spoke to EPCOR at that time, and EPCOR indicated it was not a concern in Strathmore. 

Sobol is concerned by some of the things he has read and would like Parker to look at the issue again. 

“I am very concerned about this based on the information I read. The problem, of course, is these materials do not deteriorate anywhere near normal tissue and they’re causing serious blockages. The dollar figure that I have been reading in some of these municipalities to repair some of the damage that has been caused is immense,” said Sobol.

Councillor Denise Peterson suggested publishing information about the risks of flushing these products in the local media. Parker informed council that he would return with a report in the New Year. 

 

Free snow removal

Catherine Walsh, Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) coordinator spoke to town council at the Dec. 18 meeting about creating a new policy. 

“We have been offering free snow removal services since Jan. 1, 2013. Our intention has been to provide free snow removal services for our home support clients at an affordable rate and barrier free,” said Walsh. 

On Jan. 1, 2013 FCSS had approximately 30 to 40 snow removal clients. There are now approximately 68 clients and a waiting list of 15 people. 

The 15 people do not receive home support services through FCSS at this time, but are still requesting the service. 

Walsh said FCSS would like to see a policy put in place that would provide FCSS with protocol and procedure on who would qualify for the service. She was at the council meeting to ask council to instruct administration to draft and bring forward a policy. 

A motion was made and approved to draft a policy.