Hello everyone,
My apologies for the long delay between updates. Here is a quick overview of some of the items on Council’s agenda.
Recycling:
We’ve been talking a lot recently about recycling for both single-family homes and multi-unit dwellings. Council has approved a recycling program for single-family homes which will start in early 2013. The contract for this program was determined through an RFP process and was awarded to Loraas Recycling. You can read more about the program here, including what to do if you have an existing subscription with Loraas’s All Green program: http://goo.gl/LrmoT
As part of the process of approving the contract for single-family homes, Council resolved to pursue an MOU with Cosmopolitan Industries that would make them the service provider for a recycling program for multi-unit dwellings (i.e. any apartment or condominium that doesn’t have individual city garbage bins). Then at our most recent meeting on May 28th, Council considered five options the administration had prepared about how we might accomplish this. After some discussion, Council agreed that it should be a mandatory program and because Cosmo is the processor, it will be a dual-stream program without glass. Beyond those details, most of the specifics of the program are yet to be determined. We have requested further reports on cost, logistics, phase-in times for condos with existing contracts, and more. If you live in a condominium or apartment and have questions about recycling, please get in touch and I’ll do my best to fill you in.
Adult Services Land Use Bylaw
You might have heard some discussion in the media about a ‘Red Light District’ in Saskatoon. This is a creative interpretation of a debate that City Council is preparing to have about the zoning of adult service businesses. You may recall that some months ago Council decided to allow for adult services to be licensed at the request of the Police. Having licensed businesses makes it easier for the SPS to track who is involved, to ensure all people working in the industry are over 18, and so forth. But in allowing these businesses to be licensed like any other, we created another question: where should these businesses be allowed? The administration is proposing that these businesses only be permitted in light and heavy industrial areas, mixed use areas, the downtown commercial district, and the reinvestment district. Offices for these services would be permitted as home-based businesses, but only on an out-call basis. In sum, a Red Light District is not being proposed and none of our upcoming discussions pertain to street prostitution. The reason this zoning debate is important is because without specification, these businesses could operate anywhere in the city which would obviously be problematic. I will keep you updated as this discussion progresses, and please feel free to contact me with questions or concerns.
Alleys
Alley maintenance and rehabilitation is underway. Some alleys in Eastview have had work done already this week, and the rest of the alleys in Ward 7 will be graded and rehabilitated as required throughout the summer. If you have questions about timing or any other alley-related issue, please let me know and I will do my best to get an answer for you.
If you have questions or concerns about any of the above or any city issue, please be in touch.
Take care,
Mairin