Ignace's garbage day could be a thing of the past

For many homeowners, it's the day of the week that you don't want to miss: when they can can put a smelly bag of trash at the curb and forget about it, knowing the municipality will get it to the landfill.

In the northern Ontario town of Ignace, town council will meet tonight to decide if it should ratify a decision that would see the end of curbside garbage pickup.

Chicki Pesola was the only councillor to vote against ending garbage collection at a previous council meeting in March.

"This is a service that all of us use. And, I just couldn't. I was very upset that night, and I said 'I can't go along with you guys, I'm sorry'."

Ignace pays about $50,000 a year to a contractor for the service. The elimination of trash pickup means there would be no tax increase this year.

Pesola said an upcoming town hall meeting may force council to re-think the idea she considers trashy.

"I think the whole town showed up. It seemed like it anyway. And, people voiced their opinions. To give us some kind of idea of how to handle this."

Seniors, people who live in poverty, and people who do not have vehicles would be impacted the most, Pesola said. She estimated they make up nearly half of Ignace's population.

There is no recycling program in Ignace.

Ignace once used bag tags for garbage nearly a decade ago, but that system was eliminated by a previous council, Pesola said. Homeowners would have to pay on a per-bag basis for their garbage to be picked up.

But after the town hall meeting tomorrow, that system could return.

"I got the general idea that bag tags were probably the best way to go," she told CBC News.