Halifax awards $288M tender to construct composting facility

[Keith P.]

Well, this came rather out of the blue...

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-...lity-1.5824291

Since it's a Pam Berman story we don't actually know very much about that headline, whether the $288 million is the total operating cost over 25 years or the capital cost of the facility or something else entirely.

When I saw that number though, it popped into my head that perhaps we need some sort of public engagement process for projects like this with such a large financial commitment. I certainly do not trust the 16 Stooges around the Council table to have any clue what they are voting on or what the financial impact on taxpayers might be. If a 4-storey apartment building requires 18 months worth of public engagement surely something like this deserves a bit as well?

[Good Baklava]

Peggy’s Cove tourist: What’s that smell?

Tour bus operator: It’s the sweet smell of the Atlantic at low tide.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Good Baklava

Peggy’s Cove tourist: What’s that smell?

Tour bus operator: It’s the sweet smell of the Atlantic at low tide.

The pungent aroma of rotting seaweed at low tide, and the smell of hydrogen sulphide wafting from salt marshes behind the barrier dunes is a cross that we Maritimers have learned to bear for the privilege of living by the seaside.

[Querce]

The amounts represent the costs associated with interim operations from April
2021 until October 2023 and the capital costs of designing and constructing the new facility and the costs
associated with operating the new facility from November 2023 until October 2048 (i.e. 25 years).

And this will replace the current Ragged Lake and Burnside composting facilities

also;

SWR staff conducted public consultation from September to December 2016...

Public consultation included:
• 4 public engagement sessions in person, open to the general public, with 72 residents in attendance
(total)
• 1099 online surveys were completed through Shape Your City Community Engagement Hub website
• 444 comments were provided by the public
• 17 stakeholder groups were consulted (e.g., Dalhousie University, Restaurant Association of NS, Local
Business’s Surrounding Ragged Lake/Goodwood Facility, Clean Foundation)

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Querce

And this will replace the current Ragged Lake and Burnside composting facilities

also;
Public consultation included:
• 4 public engagement sessions in person, open to the general public, with 72 residents in attendance
(total)
• 1099 online surveys were completed through Shape Your City Community Engagement Hub website
• 444 comments were provided by the public
• 17 stakeholder groups were consulted (e.g., Dalhousie University, Restaurant Association of NS, Local
Business’s Surrounding Ragged Lake/Goodwood Facility, Clean Foundation)

The public engagement is obviously just for residents in the immediate area and would deal with traffic, stink, etc.

The online surveys run by HRM are always slanted to give the result they want and are deceptive by nature.

The stakeholder groups interviewed are a rather curious group.

Nobody was asked whether spending this much taxpayer money over the long term for composting that has no market makes any sense.

[IanWatson]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Nobody was asked whether spending this much taxpayer money over the long term for composting that has no market makes any sense.

Is that really a public opinion matter though? It's just a math question based on whether the cost of composting makes more sense than the cost of landfilling and complying with applicable environmental regs. They don't have a compost program to make money selling the final product, they do it because it avoids cost challenges related to having organic materials mixed in with garbage. This is a calculation for a CPA, not a question for Joe Public.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by IanWatson

Is that really a public opinion matter though? It's just a math question based on whether the cost of composting makes more sense than the cost of landfilling and complying with applicable environmental regs. They don't have a compost program to make money selling the final product, they do it because it avoids cost challenges related to having organic materials mixed in with garbage. This is a calculation for a CPA, not a question for Joe Public.

Perhaps. But it is not a question that is even asked.

[spaustin]

Originally Posted by IanWatson

Is that really a public opinion matter though? It's just a math question based on whether the cost of composting makes more sense than the cost of landfilling and complying with applicable environmental regs. They don't have a compost program to make money selling the final product, they do it because it avoids cost challenges related to having organic materials mixed in with garbage. This is a calculation for a CPA, not a question for Joe Public.

Provincial regulations have banned organics from landfills in Nova Scotia since 1997. Not composting is a non-option. Plus, from a cost perspective, you would have to factor in the cost of filling up landfill cells at a much faster rate if we were even legally able to send organics there... landfills aren't cheap!

[Nouvellecosse]

Infrastructure isn't cheap! Most of it doesn't pay for itself by producing a product but rather by providing some societal function or benefit. Waste management infrastructure is much the same.