The e-mail was sent to Today’s Northumberland for publication by CUPE Communications
August 5, 2022
Dear Mayor Cane, Deputy Mayor Jibb, and Councillors Lovshin, McCourt and Williamson:
Members of CUPE 3019, representing inside and outside municipal workers in the Township of Hamilton, are aware that council is considering contracting out its water treatment services and letting a private company run them.
We wish to express our concerns about this risky move and lack of public consultation that has surrounded this decision. As members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, we know a thing or two about the dangers of contracting out of public services. We know that this form of privatization will mean
• Loss of water quality: Private companies prioritize profits over quality and customer service.
• Loss of control: Ratepayers won’t know how much profit a private company is making from the contract or the people who work for them.
• Loss of savings: Initial quotes for contracts may seem low, but private companies do not generally pay the running costs of the water plants; the township will still be on the hook for those expenses. We know private contractors only quote for the basics and the additional costs for call-ins, emergencies, and extra work are all billed back to the township at a premium.
• Loss of time: An outside contractor will have delayed response times for emergencies; municipal workers know the system, thus saving time and money.
• Loss of expertise: Losing local licensed workers could make it hard or impossible to bring water treatment in house again when contractors’ prices escalate in the future.
• Loss of transparency: Since Hamilton Township will still pay other costs related to the water system, there must be an accounting for those costs when evaluating the bids submitted in
response to the Request for Proposals.
We also urge council to consider the many benefits of publicly delivered water treatment services: it was municipal employees who helped the Township of Hamilton reach 100% compliance on its Ministry inspections. The people who provide water treatment services in the Township of Hamilton also live and work here. We know the system and we’re users of the system; we care about quality and customer service.
And finally, according to the Summer News edition of the township’s newsletter, we had a “positive outcome for our 2022 Drinking Water Quality Managements System performed by an external audit body and our plants and distribution are running well.”
Before council puts these and other positive outcomes in jeopardy, CUPE members ask that council members ask and answer the following questions prior to making a decision on this issue.
We believe that an honest and informed assessment of contracting out the township’s water treatment services will put a stop to the plan.
Sincerely,
Grant Darling
CUPE National Representative on behalf of the members of CUPE 3019
For the agenda for the meeting
https://hamilton.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=894
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
