THUNDER BAY -- Norm Gale is taking Walkabout Wednesdays to a new height.
The city manager spent the morning riding around on a garbage truck, collecting trash in the Northwood area in an attempt to better understand the challenges of the job.
Gale said he plans to spend time in similar hands-on fashion at jobs in every municipal department as he gets to know the mechanics of how the city operates as a whole.
“It’s absolutely crucial,” Gale said, dressed in neon orange coveralls as he ventured from house to house, dumping trash into the garbage truck at every stop.
“I want to experience what they experience. I want to have a feeling for what the job is like, so when we have challenges, when there are issues with respect to city services I have at least just a little bit, a little taste of understanding of what all these various professions and trades and all the skills people provide to the people in the City of Thunder Bay.”
Taking on the job of trash collector was a bit of an eye-opener.
Along the route he found plenty of residence’s whose owners or occupants simply weren’t obeying municipal limits.
“There are people who don’t follow the rules. We have bylaws in the City of Thunder Bay that govern garbage collections and sanitation. We went by one house today where there were 16 black garbage bags on the curb for collection,” Gale said.
“The limit is three, so we didn’t take all 16 bags.”
It told Gale there might be need for bylaw education, to know what they can and can’t do on garbage collection day.
“There are weight limits and there are container limits. This is for health and safety and this is so our people can get the work done when they’re supposed to get it done.”
Gale said his morning on the truck probably won’t change his perspective on the job, but it does provide an appreciation for the work being done.
And how did Gale do on the job?
Longtime sanitation worker Tony Ferrari said he passed the test with flying colours.
“He’s doing a very good job so far. He’s safe on the job, he follows orders very well,” Ferrari said, chuckling.
