Councillors question province’s blue box shakeup affecting hundreds

Politicians are puzzled why new provincial rules threaten to end blue box collection for non-residential buildings on residential pickup routes – with no clear explanation why.

Starting Jan. 1, Queen’s Park legislation will shift responsibility for blue box collection from municipalities to Circular Materials, a national non-profit representing producers. As part of the change, an estimated 535 small businesses, non-profits, churches, and other non-residential buildings that currently receive blue box pickup on residential routes will lose that service.

During Monday’s community and protective services committee meeting, Ward 6 Coun. Sam Trosow pushed to have city hall explore whether they could carry on that service themselves and to have the mayor advocate for provincial changes for