We're working on summarizing what we heard at the first Town Hall meeting.

In the meeting we heard from the Engagement Team, HRM staff, and the Otter Lake CMC (Community Monitoring Committee). You can find their presentation materials below for reference. 

Engagement Team and Otter Lake CMC presentations: Beechville, Lakeside, Timberlea and Prospect Town Hall Presentation (pdf)

HRM Staff presentation: HRM Solid Waste Resource - Town Hall Presentation (web link)

The first engagement session for the Dartmouth community and vicinity, took place at Cole Harbour Place, on September 25. We will be returning to the same venue for session 2 on Wednesday, October 16^th.

The first engagement session for the Dartmouth community and vicinity, took place at Cole Harbour Place, on September 25. We will be returning to the same venue for session 2 on Wednesday, October 16^th.

Event Overview & Key Themes

The bullet points below reflect the key comments, questions and themes we heard at the engagement session. The conversation was structured around the following questions:

“What do you appreciate most about the way we handle our trash in HRM?”

? Front end process

? Public consensus

? Improve without tearing it all apart

? Ahead of the curve

? Education of children

? Input from the public

? Proud! (we want clear bags)

“What values and principles should guide our future decisions?” 

*Please note that the below is transcribed directly from post-it notes collected at the engagement session.

Honor the Contract

? Honor the agreement created by host community for protection

? Simple principlehonor

the commitment to host community

? The promise to the people

? Honor the existing agreement and permits without change and no extension for Otter

Lake operational term past 25 years

? Honor agreements with community

? The same values and principles that were evident when the agreement between HRM

and the host community for Otter Lake

? HRM must honor their contract

? Honor the contracts

? Keep promises made

? Honesty and support from HRM government

Education, Source Separation and Diversion

? Focus on education and source separation

? Public responsibility to separate at the source

? Work to increase source separation. Education, awareness, enforcement, accountability

? Diversion/ Source separation

? Improve source separation through education and enforcement

? Source separation - commercial building (especially new). Build better source separation in the design and through permit

? Education - commercial, institutional, general public

? Focus on diverting more from ICI sector - apartments,

businesses, commercial

? Use waste audits to tackle recyclables and organics not diverted

? Collect organics from restaurants and apartments

? Increase diversion at source including businesses

Environmental Protection

? Environment over dollars and cents. Willing to pay more for state of the art.

? Environment –do not reduce liner, keep processes at Otter Lake and look at how to

enhance

? Environmental protection

? Environmental and community protection

? Don’t reduce existing environmental protections

? Reliable data and environmental assessment

Community Protection

? Community commitment and protection (now at Otter Lake and future site)

? Ensuring that the citizens understand the ramifications both financially and

environmentally, especially those citizens who host the landfill in their area

Not Listening

? I thought the listening meant that HRM would listen to us. Instead, we got a sales job and

we did the listening

? I do not see any demonstration of values and principle in the way this meeting is being

conducted

Additional comments:

• Plan for the Long Term
• Celebrate our World Class Landfill
• Trust in our Government
• Look at Best Practices (don’t go backward)
• Improve Operations (without making it worse)
• Leave Otter Lake Alone
• Use Clear Bags

The event for Bedford and vicinity took place on September 26^th at the Bedford/Hammonds Plains Community Centre. The second event will be held at the same location on Thursday, October 17.

The event for Bedford and vicinity took place on September 26^th at the Bedford/Hammonds Plains Community Centre. The second event will be held at the same location on Thursday, October 17.

Event Overview & Summary of Key Themes

The bullet points below reflect the key comments, questions and themes we heard at the engagement session. The conversation was structured around the following questions:

“What do you appreciate most about the way we handle our trash in HRM?”

? Way ahead, state of the art

? % of things put in recycling and compost

? Diversion and source separation

? Transient population – FEP and WSF protect us

? They pick it up! (the trash)

“What is most important to you as we evolve our waste system?”

? Honor the agreement and take care of the people

? Move towards a zero waste system

? Otter Lake remains the same

? Maintain or improve education, operation and protection

? Stantec report is false

? Problem - no

green bins for apartments

? Truth about GHG? How much?

? Keep the commitment to the community

? Review and consider all information and transparency

? Clear bags

? More processing will not increase methane production

“What principles should guide our future decisions?”

*Please note that the below is transcribed directly from post-it notes collected at the engagement session. 

Honor the Contract

? Honor the contracts

? Honor contracts – Respect host community

? Integrity – live up to your commitments HRM

? Honoring commitments

? Trust – a deal is a deal

? Honor contracts and commitments

? A deal is a deal - LOLA!

? A deal is a deal – the local community

? Moral imperative to honor existing contract

? Respect CSC commitment, original strategy was brilliant

? Honor agreement

? Honor the agreement

? Honor commitments made to community around landfill

? Respect the CSC decision and commitment

? Honor commitment

? Honor past commitments

? The city made a commitment, let’s keep it

Education, Source Separation and Diversion

? Improve education, enforcement and communication

? More education in regards to source separation

? Apartment building owners should be held responsible for waste management

? Provide tenants with tools to recycle and compost with as much ease as home owners

? Emphasize source separation - education, enforcement, clear bags

? Citizen driven strategy to increase diversion and establish waste system

? Perfect source separation

Environmental Protection

? Environmental protection for everyone – host community should not suffer; they did not ask to be compensated

? Environmental protections

? Increase environmental responsibility and protection

? Environmental protection - liner

+ FEP + WSF + no organics

? Environmental protection

Transparency

? Transparency

? Give all points of view information from ALL reports

? Transparency! Equal time for all reports and executive summaries

? Transparency and consider equal footing for all information

? Full disclosure – focus on all reports Re: Otter Lake

Community Protection

? Community protection (FEP and WSF)

? Have some respect for your partners: the people of Beechville, Lakeside, Timberlea and Prospect

Leave Otter Lake Alone

? Leave the landfill and Otter Lake alone

? We are not interested in changing Otter Lake

Use Clear Bags

? Clear bags

? Use clear bags

Additional Comments and Themes:

• Trust
• Ban Plastic Bags - use paper
• Not about money
• Extension past 25 years not supported
• Get on with site selection
• Make category B compost from WSF organics and use it beneficially

The Halifax event took place on October 2nd, at the Halifax Forum. We will be returning to the same location for the second engagement event for this region (and final session for this program) on Thursday, October 24.

The Halifax event took place on October 2nd, at the Halifax Forum. We will be returning to the same location for the second engagement event for this region (and final session for this program) on Thursday, October 24.

Event Overview & Key Themes

The bullet points below reflect the key comments, questions and themes we heard at the engagement session. The conversation was structured around the following questions:

The first Eastern Shore event took place on Thursday, October 3rd at the Lake & Shore community recreation centre in Porters Lake. The follow up event for this region will be held in 3 weeks time, at the same location on October 23rd.

The first Eastern Shore event took place on Thursday, October 3rd at the Lake & Shore community recreation centre in Porters Lake. The follow up event for this region will be held in 3 weeks time, at the same location on October 23rd.

Event Overview & Key Themes

The bullet points below reflect the key comments, questions and themes we heard at the engagement session. The conversation was structured around the following questions:

The phase 1 events were held in central locations across HRM, including Dartmouth, Bedford, Halifax and Porters Lake. These events were focused on sharing information and gathering feedback from the community members in attendance.

The phase 1 events were held in central locations across HRM, including Dartmouth, Bedford, Halifax and Porters Lake. These events were focused on sharing information and gathering feedback from the community members in attendance.

The content presented in the public sessions included an educational presentation by HRM on the waste management system and options under consideration, and a presentation by the CMC articulating the key concerns of the host communities of the Otter Lake landfill. Discussions were then hosted in a world café format, and framed by the following questions:

1. “What do you appreciate most about the way we handle our trash in HRM?”
2. “What is most important to you as we evolve our waste system?”
3. “What values and principles should guide our future decisions?”

The key themes and topics that arose from the meeting discussions have been summarized in the image below.

*click to enlarge image 

After visiting central locations across HRM for phase 1 of the waste management public engagement sessions, we returned to the same communities for phase 2. This included Dartmouth, Bedford, Halifax and Porters Lake. While phase 1 focused sharing information and collecting feedback on potential changes to the solid waste management system, during phase 2 we asked community members to indicate their position on each of the options under consideration.

After visiting central locations across HRM for phase 1 of the waste management public engagement sessions, we returned to the same communities for phase 2. This included Dartmouth, Bedford, Halifax and Porters Lake. While phase 1 focused sharing information and collecting feedback on potential changes to the solid waste management system, during phase 2 we asked community members to indicate their position on each of the options under consideration.

We once again hosted discussions in a world café format. Small groups gathered to dicuss the topics and potential changes they cared about the most. This included:

• Increasing diversion
• Changes at the curb
• Recycling
• Organics and composting
• Landfill site changes

More information about each of the options discussed can be found under Public Event Materials. 

An overview of the key topics, concerns and priorities transcribed by each table host at the phase 2 events can be found here.