By Chad Ingram

Minden Hills residents who use the Ingoldsby transfer station can expect the road and disposal platform at the site to be repaired this month.

That project was included in the township’s 2021 budget and while its completion has been delayed due to staffing shortages, the work should be done soon, according to a report from public works director Travis Wilson, received by councillors during a June 24 online meeting.
“Severe staffing shortages in early spring set roads crews behind on regulated public road maintenance,” Wilson’s report reads. “[Our] roads crew are catching up and the work to repair the Ingoldsby transfer station platform/roadway is planned to occur in the next month. “As staffing shortages continue to be an issue, the work will be completed with contracted services and internal efforts.”

The township continues to wait for approval from the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks for the construction of a new transfer station at the Scotch Line landfill site. The new transfer station will mean that residents will deposit all of their waste and recycling in bins located near the gates of the facility, instead of driving through the landfill.

“Staff have followed up on the status of the application with the MECP and learned the file has not yet been assigned to a reviewer,” Wilson’s report reads. “The MECP cannot guarantee a timeline. The township has the ability to request an expedited review, but will need to demonstrate urgency. Because the township acted quickly on development and submission of the plan, an expedited review based on urgency may not be needed at this point, but may become warranted before the end of the year as operating space continues to decline.”
The township is preparing a request for proposals for the construction project, so it can be issued as soon as approval is granted.
“Council will note that operating space at Scotch Line landfill is becoming limited,” the report read. “The site equipment operator and landfill attendants are doing their best to maintain a clean, navigable facility. Staff are appreciative of the public’s patience, understanding, and largely positive feedback as the site undergoes significant and continual change.”

The township also continues to wait on the ministry for the approval of an agreement between Minden Hills and the Municipality of Highlands East that will allow Minden Hills residents who were affected by the closure of the Irondale landfill to use the Glamorgan transfer station, owned and operated by Highlands East.

“From the perspective of the township and [consulting firm GHD], the application is a simple administrative change with little to to no environmental impact, and that historically, residents from Highlands East had access to the Irondale landfill with no negative impacts.”