Another Unsolicited E-Mail

To Aurora Councillors

I last wrote to you in early 2010 concerning the about-to-be-formed
Energy from Waste Advisory Committee (EFWAC) and how Durham Region had
eunuched this provincially mandated advisory committee by unilaterally
appointing uninformed bureaucrats from all the municipalities instead of
asking the councils to appoint people who might have been better qualified.

Well, that committee has now met 4 times and the Durham Region waste
bureaucracy is in full control because the municipal representatives
participate very little and the 3 community group representatives from
Durham, of which I am one, have provided at least 98% of the input - but
to little affect.

DurhamCLEAR and others have been fighting this facility for more than
five years. Last summer, when all the normal political channels had
failed, DurhamCLEAR took Durham Region and Covanta to court.

This action is on-going, albeit at a glacial pace. Our next court date
is July 17, but even then, we are still months away from any discussion
on our main motion. For more information, visit our 2 websites -
DontGetBurned.org and DurhamCLEAR.ca.

This incinerator is an environmental and fiscal disaster.

In comparison to the $272 million (2009 figure - there has been no
comprehensive update) that Durham and York are spending on a 140,000
tonne incinerator (York's share will be about $60 million), Waste
Management (private company) is building a recycling plant in Cambridge
Ontario that will process 550,000 tonnes at a cost of only $30 million.
It will be operational in under a year and will have none of the
environmental concerns surrounding the incinerator. While this is not
strictly an apples to apples comparison, the dramatic difference should
make you question the $60 million York Region is investing in the Durham
incinerator to dispose of only 20-30,000 tonnes of your garbage.

For obvious reasons the residents of York Region do not share the
environmental and health concerns of Durham residents, but the financial
boondoogle is a shared one. Waste quantities are gradually dropping as
people increasingly exercise the 1st 2 of the 3Rs - reduce and reuse.

In Durham's business case in 2008 they projected 60% diversion in 2012
and a total residual of 107,000 tonnes. However last year diversion was
only 53% and the quantity was 108,000 tonnes. Durham is actually
stalling diversion efforts in order to maintain residual waste levels in
the 100-110,000 tonne range it is committed to provide to the burners.

This facility is being built on shaky and exaggerated projections and
should be stopped. Both Durham & York can achieve their waste management
goals easier, cheaper and faster through aggressive diversion.

I would be happy to meet with any of you to discuss these matters
further. Let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Doug Anderson
President, DurhamCLEAR
905-668-5040