An Environmental Advisory Committee for the Township of Emo, which first was proposed last January, finally was passed by Emo council at its regular meeting last Tuesday (Oct. 30).
Dave Ogilvie and Michelle Marinaro will spearhead the committee, with additional members being needed to serve on it.
As its name suggests, the role of the EAC will be to advise council on environmental issues.
“We’ll listen to the rest of the general public, too, and be the spokespeople for the rest of the municipality,” noted Ogilvie.
“We’re trying to cut down on the amount of waste that’s going into the landfill,” he added, referring to the EAC’s first challenge.
“We’re going to be looking at a composting system and see which one would fit the size of Emo the best,” Ogilvie noted.
Emo council would not have to pass the committee’s recommendations. Rather, the EAC just feeds council information and their opinion on the findings.
“The cost of landfill is just skyrocketing,” noted Ogilvie. “Small communities just can’t afford making new landfills.”
Several EACs already are in place across Ontario, such as cities like Sudbury and Peel (Toronto).
Emo council was looking for relief on environmental issues and that’s when Ogilvie came up with the EAC idea.
“It [the EAC] is a responsibility and you need a committee that can work well together,” stressed Ogilvie.
No meetings have been scheduled yet.
“We’ll only be reacting to things that they [council] propose to us when they ask our advice,” Ogilvie continued. “For now, we’re not going to generate any new projects of our own.”
In other news, the Royal Bank of Canada’s “Stay in School” project also was a big issue at last Tuesday’s Emo council meeting.
According to its website, the RBC has been funding after-school programs since 1999, with more than $14.8 million given through 472 grants to 157 different organizations that have helped more than 14,000 children over the past nine years.
Emo supported the idea and came up with a list of clubs that were interested.
Where the money will be best used is a major concern for the township—if and when it receives the funding.
David Young School, the Emo Public Library, the Emo Toy Library, and the 3:16 Club are the ones that were interested in the idea.
Finally, the issue of Remembrance Day wreathes was discussed.
Three wreaths (one from Emo township, one from the Emo Toy Library, and one from the Emo-La Vallee community centre board) will be laid during the annual service at the Emo cenotaph, which is slated for this Sunday at 2:45 p.m.
Emo council’s next meeting is scheduled on Tuesday, Nov. 13.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
