How should the District address perceived inequities by seasonal residents who pay for a service they don’t use to the extent of year-round residents, such as solid waste disposal?
The issue was discussed at length at the June 18 Engineer and Public Works Committee meeting.
It was prompted by a resolution from the Township of Muskoka Lakes requesting that the District improve equity for ratepayers who do not use their property and the service year-round. The resolution requests that the District modify its waste disposal service and provide free garbage bag tags for seasonal residents.
At the District public works committee in April, the committee asked staff to return this month with options.
District staff returned with two options. The first option, recommended by staff, would restore the bag drop-off limit to two bags per week and consider implementing a “pay-as-you-throw” model for the entire system as part of its Solid Waste Master Plan, expected to be completed in mid-2026. The second option would involve a pilot program providing ten bag tags to approximately 4,500 seasonal residents in Muskoka Lakes and Georgian Bay who receive drop-off service only.
Committee members did not agree with any of those options, noting that it simply increases the amount of garbage that can be disposed of rather than addressing perceived inequities in the system. Some also noted that seasonal residents may want to use a private service to dispose of their waste or take it with them. Discussions surrounding charging ratepayers with vacant, undevelopable properties, for the service also surfaced.
District chair Jeff Lehman summarized the issue. “The key point that I understood committee was trying to address the last time is the fact that, by the accident of timing, for seasonal residents, they can’t drop off as much waste as residents who are here full-time. So if you’re here for 52 weeks in the year, you get your weekly allotment, and you’re putting 52 weeks’ worth of garbage into the landfill. Seasonal residents are not doing that but often paying well more in the levy because of their property value, and that’s an issue that I have learned in Muskoka we often talk about, but that’s the way the system works. You pay based on the value of your property, and the level of service doesn’t change whether you pay $10,000 in taxes or $1,000 in taxes. However, the reality of how these properties are used by seasonal residents ends up in our system with this inequity,” he said.
“We’re in the midst of the Solid Waste Master Plan and perhaps it will evolve the system to “pay-as-you-throw” over time but I don’t think this report addressed the core issue that committee was requesting which is how can we address the inequity in level of service and I recognize not everybody sees it that way, but certainly the residents who pay their taxes see it that way.”
Other concerns included the impact changes could have on the cost of the service to the year-round population.
In the end, committee decided to refer further discussions to the August 21, 2025, council meeting, where an update on the progress of the creation of the Solid Waste Master Plan is expected to be presented.
You can find the staff report HERE.
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