Dufferin County Council keeps IC&I recycling program in 25-6 vote, eliminates condo garbage rebate
Dufferin County Council voted 25-6 to maintain the Industrial, Commercial & Institutional (IC&I) Recycling program during a special meeting June 25, while eliminating two other rebate programs and making several operational changes. The decisions came from a review of county programs and services.
Council decides on waste, rebates, and operations
Council’s 25-6 vote to keep the IC&I Recycling program included a requirement for a 12-month review. The program provides recycling services to businesses and institutions.
In other program changes, Council voted to:
- Eliminate the Collections Condo Garbage Rebate Program.
- Eliminate the Hurricane Clip Rebate Program (a program that helped homeowners retrofit roofs against high winds).
- Change the Nuisance Beaver Program to involve only limited county support.
- Maintain Compost Giveaway Days after a motion to eliminate the program failed.
Council also approved several low-risk operational changes, including moving to paperless accounts payable, using artificial intelligence for prosecution, and increasing the bag tag fee for garbage to $3.
Additionally, Council transferred administration of the Bill Hill Scholarship to the Dufferin Community Foundation and decided to transition the crack sealing program to full in-house delivery.
All items were carried, with the IC&I vote being the only split decision.
Access Dufferin reviews accessibility designs
On June 23, the Access Dufferin committee reviewed conceptual designs for accessibility features at the Edelbrock Centre. The designs covered the HART Hub, Youth Housing and Wellness Outreach (YHWO), and an Integrated Welcome Centre. The committee also received a progress update on the county’s Multi-Year Accessibility Plan from the Manager of Equity. Minutes from that meeting have not yet been published, so no decisions are available.
Coming up: Council to weigh waste strategy and housing funding
Dufferin County Council will meet July 9 to consider several items, including approval of a draft Long-Term Waste Management Strategy. Council will also vote on investment plans for the Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative and the Homelessness Prevention Program for 2026-27. Other agenda items include an update on water source protection amendments under the Clean Water Act and a request to designate Orangeville as a Justice Centre. The meeting will take place at the County Administration building.