Building a Smarter, Stronger Waste Management System

Another highlight of my time on council has been serving as Vice-Chairman of the Evergreen Regional Waste Management Commission. My service with Evergreen goes back to 2007, when I first joined as Smoky Lake’s representative, and I returned again in 2018 representing St. Paul. Altogether, I’ve served 13 years on the board.

I hold the unique position of being both the youngest member of the commission and the one with the longest history of service. That experience has given me in-depth knowledge of Evergreen’s founding, its operations, its challenges, and its successes.

Turning Deficits Into Surpluses

When I first joined Evergreen, the commission struggled with yearly deficits that were passed down to member municipalities. Over the last eight years, however, we’ve worked hard to change that. By restructuring financial agreements, finding cost savings, identifying efficiencies, and developing new revenue streams, Evergreen has transformed from running deficits into generating yearly surpluses.

Today, those surpluses are being reinvested—saving for future capital projects and improving the level of service for all member municipalities. This success shows the strength of regional cooperation and what can be achieved when municipalities work together toward a common goal.

A Regional Study for the Future

This year, Evergreen’s seven member municipalities secured an Alberta Cooperative Partnership Grant to fund a study on waste collection and management. After years of preparation and applications, we were awarded the grant in spring 2025 and have since hired a consultant to lead the study.

The project will roll out in two phases:

• Phase One: Data collection and interviews, leading to an interim report with recommendations for cost savings and improved service.

• Phase Two: The new Evergreen board will set priorities and determine which recommendations to implement over the next four years.

This study will help chart the future of regional waste management—finding smarter, more economical ways to serve our communities.

Local Improvements at the Transfer Station

Alongside regional work, I’ve also chaired the Transfer Station Committee, where we’ve introduced changes to improve efficiency. For example, we’ve moved from paper-based data collection to digital tablets, allowing operators to record information more quickly and accurately. This real-time data is now shaping how we make decisions and invest in improvements.

One area I continue to push for is community composting. Composting reduces greenhouse gases, diverts waste from landfills, and returns nutrients back to our soil. We’ve begun preparing our transfer station to reintroduce composting services at a higher level, and this remains a priority for me moving forward.

Preparing for Provincial Changes

Waste management is also changing at the provincial level. Alberta has begun implementing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)—a program that shifts recycling costs from municipalities to producers. Even in its early stages, EPR has already returned value to our community through rebates for recycling cardboard.

Over the next four years, the province will expand the program, aiming to standardize recycling services across Alberta. For St. Paul, this could mean achieving curbside residential recycling—a service that would directly benefit families in our community. It will take negotiation and adaptation at all levels—municipal, regional, and provincial—but I believe we can get there.

The same applies to composting. In the short term, residents will continue bringing organic material to the transfer station. But in the long term, my vision is to introduce curbside organic collection—once we know we can properly process that material through efficient and effective composting.

I’m proud of the work I’ve done with the Evergreen Commission and the progress we’ve made. Waste management may not always grab headlines, but it directly affects our environment, our economy, and our quality of life. With continued leadership, I believe we can make St. Paul and our region a model of efficient, sustainable waste management—while keeping costs low for families and businesses.