On Wednesday, May 13, I received my annual utilities invoice dated April 30. Enclosed was a clean up event coupon that expired on April 30. I had visited the dump on May 9 with my spring cleanup load.
Before I went, I had my son check the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) website about the coupon. It stated they had all been mailed out in mid-April. I just assumed I had misplaced the invoice and the coupon. So I asked the attendant if they could do it by civic address if we had misplaced the coupon. He said no, so I paid for the load. If one knows the coupon being mailed is already expired, wouldn't most people deal with it by extending the coupon and attaching a note or making some other arrangement?
I checked the website again and there was no mention of any extension or adjustment.
I hope mine was an isolated incident and there is no spike in illegal dumping as a result of the latest confusion.
I am glad the tax increase has resulted in greater efficiency at the SCRD, but the majority continue to do nothing about it. Watershed fiascoes, catering to special interest groups, directors voting themselves pay increases for committee meetings, unilaterally expanding referendum mandates, misguided environmental inquisitions, lack of business plans - those are just a few of the reasons our taxes went up instead of down.
Paul Tingley
Elphinstone
