Winnipeg Free Press
Wed, Feb 14, 2001
By Gerald Flood
AT 4:24 p.m. yesterday, Coun. John Angus rose from his seat in the council chamber to propose a "friendly amendment" that saved the city's horridly named "waste minimization strategy" from the trash heap.
It wasn't supposed to happen that way, and it hadn't looked that it would happen that way when the marathon, 10.5-hour debate began a day earlier.
The strategy had been discussed and massaged, had been drafted and redrafted as a result of scores of meetings, public and private, and in response to thousands and thousands of phone calls, letters and e-mails.
The strategy, which had consumed council for a month and had distracted it for years, was better than the one it started out to be, more comprehensive and inclusive. It was, at least until 4:24 p.m., supposed to be a done deal complete with a modest $1.50 per bag penalty for householders who failed to recycle and thus produced more than two bags -- 80 pounds of garbage a week to be buried at Brady. It was the chance for the city to move on, to get the matter if only in principle -- behind it.
In fact, earlier in the day Coun. Angus had wagered on the result, betting the plan would carry by a 9 to 7 margin, not exactly a vote of confidence, but a majority nonetheless.
That was, however, before Coun. Bill Clement, who had refused to state a position, who had refused to even vote at committee level because he remained undecided, broke his silence.
Bill Clement has been around city hall a long time, as he will tell you. People generally listen when he speaks, and on this occasion he had kept his powder dry. What he said, therefore, was all the more, if not explosive, at least combustible.
And what he said was that he agreed with the plan, that he agreed with the goals, but he did not believe it was necessary to impose the $1.50 a bag penalty.
"What's the rush?" he asked, echoing the sentiment of many opponents of the plan, including some who were wavering, who could have sent Mayor Glen Murray home a happy man last night.
Coun. Clement said he believed "the public will respond" without
imposing penalties.
If it does, the cost of the $4 million a year program could be halved to, say,
$2 million, an amount that could be paid out of general revenue "without
all the heartache and pain."
Whether Coun. Clement better understands Winnipeggers, whether his assessment of human nature is more acute than other less optimistic assessments -- even if all he was saying was what he had been saying all along, that he would not take a stand on user fees -- the result was clear.
The council floor became a comparative beehive of activity, whispered conferences, passed notes. An adjournment was called at 3: 1 5. More questions were asked, arms were twisted and Coun. Angus concluded the whole thing was about to be lost in the least satisfactory manner imaginable -- a tie vote, the sign of political impotence.
At 4:24 he proposed his friendly amendment -- that Winnipeg will go ahead with the program but Winnipeggers will be given a grace period until October to demonstrate they will recycle, that they will better respond to a carrot than a stick.
If sufficient recycling occurs on the basis of good will, then no user fee will be imposed. If not ... well, that's the issue now, isn't it?
It would appear that Winnipeg is in for a lot more pain, aggravation, rancour and indecision, with the likely result that the whole debate will take place again, and again.
I would have voted for the program, as flawed as it clearly is. I think most Winnipeggers, if they had a vote, would have done the same, they would have said -- "Get on with it."
It may be, however, that Winnipeg will achieve what thousands of other jurisdictions have failed to achieve -- a recycling program that operates on good will and responsible citizenship. Should that occur, the decision yesterday to not make a decision may prove a good one, and Winnipeg will become a leader rather than a follower. Although the thought of the debates ahead on garbage minutiae is dreadful to contemplate, we can hope.
I should add that although few names appear in this piece, 16 members of council, for the most part, conducted themselves with some distinction over the two days. The fact is, it became an epic drama, increasingly engrossing and with an edge-of-the-seat finale.
As I left city hall last night, I had to collect my car from the third level of the Princess Street garage. There, across the way, were the scaffolds and other signs of construction at the heritage site of the $35 million Red River College satellite campus, which at times seemed a dream that would not come true.
Man, it's hard to get things done in Winnipeg.