It has become a messy situation for some condo owners in Regina after the city removed garbage and recycling services from 900 condos over the last three months.
“We are starting to feel like second-class citizens,” said Jeff Campbell, a VP of one of the condo corporations affected.
Campbell said the City of Regina told them a move to a private garbage pickup would take place on Jan. 1, 2023.
Before the change, condo owners would bring their garbage bags to the corner, and the city would pick it up. Very similar to the bin system Regina homeowners use, but the city would have to pick it up manually.
Now, however, it’s a different story.
“All condo owners are going to be 100 per cent responsible for their own garbage pickup,” Campbell said, meaning the condo association representing each condo has to arrange their own private pickup.
Campbell said condo owners can also expect an increase of 12 to 18 per cent in cost of garbage removal after moving to private pickup, as well as a $40 rebate being removed.
Manual collection at condos costs the city $140 annually. Campbell said most private services will be charging them over $500 a year per unit.
“Our houses are the same price as a lot of other houses in the neighbourhood. The mill rate is the same, so if we aren’t getting the same service, why am I paying the same taxes?” Campbell said as he questioned the city’s decision to move.
For Faisal Kalim, the manager of solid waste operations with the City of Regina, said part of the decision for the move was to only have automated pickup saving the city time and money.
He said the plan is currently to move as many condos as they can to an automated cart service, but at some locations, it won’t be possible due to the street sizes, shapes and distance.
It costs the city $65 per household annually for automated cart pickup.
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“There was a decision at council in Oct. 2022, and all waste services are actually going to be a user pay model,” Kalim explained. “It will be on the utility bill as of 2024.”
“We sent out letters at the end of October… and anybody that approached us, we met with them and worked with them.”
He said the City of Regina will continue to work with condo owners on finding ways to implement automated garbage cart pickup, but manual pickup will not be an option.
“The reality is we are not offering manual service going forward, so that is not an option for a condo complex in terms of city delivering the waste service,” Kalim said.
Moving forward, Campbell hopes to meet with Regina Mayor Sandra Masters as well as city manager Niki Anderson to discuss what can be done about garbage pickup.
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