The Battlefords Chamber of Commerce has offered their support to a locally-established bidder for the recycling contract in the city of North Battleford.
Chamber president Sharon Mohagen informed Chamber directors at the Dec. 10 monthly meeting she had written a letter to the City in support for Loraas Environmental Services Ltd., a Chamber member.
City Hall is in the process of considering major changes in both garbage and recycling collection, including moving towards bi-weekly recycling collection across the city.
Loraas has put in a bid for city wide blue cart recycling collection. The competing bidder is Ever Green Ecological Services Inc. of Sherwood Park, Alta., whose proposal is for blue bag collection.
Mohagen attended the council meeting in November when representatives from Ever Green and Loraas made the case for their proposals. Which proposal the City will go with is to be decided during budget deliberations.
In her letter, Mohagen said Loraas is established in North Battleford and has participated in many Chamber events and works to promote their business and their employees in the community.
"The Chamber of Commerce feels strongly that businesses in the community who have a commitment to North Battleford with their financial investment, payroll and employment of local residents, local purchases of goods and services and solid community contributions and support for other groups and charities in the region, should be considered as partners the City would wish to engage with and contract from, for services," Mohagen stated.
"While we anticipate that many non-local businesses could provide the services sought, it was disappointing to hear that the proposed level of commitment and investment in the community would likely be minimal at best. We therefore, wish to encourage you to consider even more favorably the proposal from Loraas Environmental Services for the substantive reasons noted above."
