Surrey: The Surrey Board of Trade (SBoT) has been involved in Metro Vancouver’s efforts to find solutions to the steadily growing issues around the waste disposal issues in Metro Vancouver. SBoT recommends that the BC Government and Metro Vancouver take a cautious approach to Bylaw 280 to take the necessary steps that will ensure a more comprehensive, simple understanding of Bylaw 280 amongst the business community in terms of its impacts on the cost of doing business and to the future of waste management. The BC Government and Metro Vancouver need to be receptive to feedback from the business community.

SBoT wants that the BC Government and Metro Vancouver delay signing Bylaw 280 to allow time to assess the ramifications of MMBC and other changes to garbage collections taking place currently and also the government should ensure that no unintended financial impacts are faced by the local taxpayers.

The proposed Bylaw 280 would ensure that garbage generated in Metro Vancouver is processed at regional facilities not transported to areas outside of the region (e.g., Abbotsford, Washington State, etc.).Metro Vancouver asserts landfills are a last resort and is poised to spend $470 million on one or more waste-to-energy facilities by 2018 to handle 370,000 tonnes of garbage annually. It is being argued that Metro Vancouver could be creating a garbage monopoly that could restrain private enterprise. Bylaw 280 has been sent to the Minister of Environment for approval.