Subsidies for seniors and disabled people for the Kitimat-Stikine regional district's curbside recycling collection program won't be happening anytime soon but the regional district director who suggested it will keep looking into solutions.
“Although my motion was defeated, it is my hope and my goal to remain diligent and prompt in finding ways through possible subsidies available within the province to support individuals, specifically seniors and disabled persons on fixed incomes, financially, in part, with curbside collection fees,” says Jessica McCallum-Miller who represents the rural area surrounding Terrace and extending south past Lakelse Lake.
Last year, McCallum-Miller proposed a motion which would introduce subsidies for seniors and disabled individuals when the regional district brought in its curbside collection program.
Regional district officials then contacted municipalities and other regional districts to ask if they did anything similar.
After receiving many replies, officials recommended against subsidies because many municipalities and regional districts said subsidy programs caused additional work and difficulties keeping track of who should receive a subsidy and who should not.
McCallum-Miller then suggested subsidizing individuals who had extra medical waste, a program that was in place in the Kamloops area and which looked to be successful.
She said this would assist many seniors/disabled persons on fixed incomes that reside in Thornhill and the larger rural area.
That idea is now to form the basis for a draft plan and once that's prepared, it will be presented to the regional district board for a vote.