CANORA – On Nov. 1, the Town of Canora will open its new transfer station.
The Town has been working towards the closure of its decades-old landfill for several years. This was not a local decision, it was made necessary by Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Environment. Canora’s existing landfill is not engineered and does not meet the requirements put in place by the province, according to a Town of Canora release.
“As a result, in 2020, with the help of Tetra Tech, an engineering firm that specializes in waste management, council held a public consultation to determine the future of solid waste services in the community,” said Michael Mykytyshyn, chief administrative officer. “The choices boiled down to build a new landfill or a transfer station.”
After a cost-benefit analysis, council chose to build a transfer station. This option was cheaper to construct and cheaper to operate in the long-term.
“All materials deposited at the station will be transferred to a landfill elsewhere,” said Mykytyshyn. “Given the regulations, this is an increasingly common development across the province.”
Construction of the $2.7 million transfer station was completed in 2024, but the facility has not yet been opened in order to maximize the amount of material deposited in the landfill before its closure. The Town’s permit to operate the landfill expires Dec. 31, said Mykytyshyn.
“Decommissioning of the landfill involves shaping the waste and covering it with soil to form a dome or a hill. This promotes the run off of any precipitation and minimizes leaching into the waste material below. The more waste that could be deposited prior to its closure resulted in less fill (and expense) required to cover the material.”
The Town received eight tenders to decommission the landfill ranging in cost between about $1.6 million and $3.6 million. The contract for the work was recently awarded to Brodsky Construction of Saskatoon for $1.666 million. The Town will receive Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) grant funding to offset two-thirds of this cost.
Transfer station
The new transfer station facility will offer a slightly different level of service to residents, according to Mykytyshyn.
“Materials will still need to be sorted as much as possible when dropped off: into large containers for household, construction and furniture; a metal pile; clean wood area, and compost pile for leaves, grass and garden waste.”
The facility has a weigh scale and new rates have been set accordingly. There is a $20 entrance fee plus $240 per metric tonne for all materials brought in. Compost items can be dropped off for free by residents only. As with the previous landfill, non-residents will pay double the in-town rates.
All vehicles will be weighed on the way in and on the way out. Fees will be based on rates and weight.
Commercial changes
The new facility will result in significant changes for local businesses, as it does not have a provision to accept material from dump trucks or dump trailers.
“This means garbage trucks will no longer be able to deposit material in Canora and any material collected by a garbage truck will need to be hauled out of town to a landfill,” said Mykytyshyn. “As a result, Town of Canora will be discontinuing garbage and recycle collection services to commercial properties fairly quickly. Canora’s current garbage truck is not suitable for hauling material on the highway and the expense of purchasing a new truck and hauling is prohibitive in the long-term.”
Commercial properties were notified of the change through their water bills in October and will have a couple of choices moving forward, according to Mykytyshyn.
“They can haul their own refuse to the transfer station or make arrangements with an outside contractor for collection services. The Town will continue to deal with Ottenbreit Sanitation Services (OSS) of Yorkton for residential services and is encouraging businesses to contact OSS to arrange their commercial services as well.”
The change is on short notice and it is anticipated there may be some unforeseen hiccups, but Mykytyshyn said, “The Town and OSS will work with everyone to ensure the transition is as seamless as possible, given the circumstances. Ottenbreit has already contacted several businesses in Canora to discuss service levels and costs.”
On Nov. 1, the Town of Canora will open its new transfer station.
The Town has been working towards the closure of its decades-old landfill for several years. This was not a local decision, it was made necessary by Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Environment. Canora’s existing landfill is not engineered and does not meet the requirements put in place by the province, according to a Town of Canora release.
“As a result, in 2020, with the help of Tetra Tech, an engineering firm that specializes in waste management, council held a public consultation to determine the future of solid waste services in the community,” said Michael Mykytyshyn, chief administrative officer. “The choices boiled down to build a new landfill or a transfer station.”
After a cost-benefit analysis, council chose to build a transfer station. This option was cheaper to construct and cheaper to operate in the long-term.
“All materials deposited at the station will be transferred to a landfill elsewhere,” said Mykytyshyn. “Given the regulations, this is an increasingly common development across the province.”
Construction of the $2.7 million transfer station was completed in 2024, but the facility has not yet been opened in order to maximize the amount of material deposited in the landfill before its closure. The Town’s permit to operate the landfill expires Dec. 31, said Mykytyshyn.
“Decommissioning of the landfill involves shaping the waste and covering it with soil to form a dome or a hill. This promotes the run off of any precipitation and minimizes leaching into the waste material below. The more waste that could be deposited prior to its closure resulted in less fill (and expense) required to cover the material.”
The Town received eight tenders to decommission the landfill ranging in cost between about $1.6 million and $3.6 million. The contract for the work was recently awarded to Brodsky Construction of Saskatoon for $1.666 million. The Town will receive Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) grant funding to offset two-thirds of this cost.
Transfer station
The new transfer station facility will offer a slightly different level of service to residents, according to Mykytyshyn.
“Materials will still need to be sorted as much as possible when dropped off: into large containers for household, construction and furniture; a metal pile; clean wood area, and compost pile for leaves, grass and garden waste.”
The facility has a weigh scale and new rates have been set accordingly. There is a $20 entrance fee plus $240 per metric tonne for all materials brought in. Compost items can be dropped off for free by residents only. As with the previous landfill, non-residents will pay double the in-town rates.
All vehicles will be weighed on the way in and on the way out. Fees will be based on rates and weight.
Commercial changes
The new facility will result in significant changes for local businesses, as it does not have a provision to accept material from dump trucks or dump trailers.
“This means garbage trucks will no longer be able to deposit material in Canora and any material collected by a garbage truck will need to be hauled out of town to a landfill,” said Mykytyshyn. “As a result, Town of Canora will be discontinuing garbage and recycle collection services to commercial properties fairly quickly. Canora’s current garbage truck is not suitable for hauling material on the highway and the expense of purchasing a new truck and hauling is prohibitive in the long-term.”
Commercial properties were notified of the change through their water bills in October and will have a couple of choices moving forward, according to Mykytyshyn.
“They can haul their own refuse to the transfer station or make arrangements with an outside contractor for collection services. The Town will continue to deal with Ottenbreit Sanitation Services (OSS) of Yorkton for residential services and is encouraging businesses to contact OSS to arrange their commercial services as well.”
The change is on short notice and it is anticipated there may be some unforeseen hiccups, but Mykytyshyn said, “The Town and OSS will work with everyone to ensure the transition is as seamless as possible, given the circumstances. Ottenbreit has already contacted several businesses in Canora to discuss service levels and costs.”
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