Thompson-Nicola Regional District approves 6-month delay to Sun Peaks Transfer Station changes

Changes to the Sun Peaks Transfer Station, originally scheduled to introduce a new load limit Dec. 1, have been pushed back to June 1, 2027. 

The changes are set to restrict use of the station to passenger vehicles carrying a maximum of six bags per day, creating logistical challenges and cost increases for businesses which currently use the facility. Although the implementation date has been pushed back, the restrictions have not changed.

While commercial waste will still be accepted within those limits, businesses generating larger quantities will need to arrange alternative disposal services or transport their waste to another facility. 

When the restrictions proposal first came to council in February 2026, Jamie Vieira, Thompson-Nicola Regional District general manager of operations and Adriana Mailloux, manager of solid waste and recycling recommended load size restrictions at the transfer station in an effort to return the site to its original purpose of serving residential users.

Built in 2005, the transfer station was designed primarily for passenger vehicles carrying small loads, typically a few bags of garbage and household recycling. However, no formal restrictions were ever established and over time, commercial operators and commercial-type loads, such as trailers, began using the facility, Vieira said.

Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality council requested the delay, saying the new procedures could create significant additional costs for local businesses and lead to increased traffic, safety and bylaw enforcement concerns. The delay was approved during the Oct. 1 board meeting.  

Speaking to the board, Sun Peaks Mayor Rob O’Toole said the extension would help relieve some of the pressure businesses have faced while preparing for the changes.

“Moving it away from December to June will definitely relieve some stress,” O’Toole said. 

O’Toole also said some strata corporations and property management companies have already begun signing contracts with private waste management providers.

Local businesses face increased costs

Dorb & Norm’s Waste Management announced it will end operations on Nov. 1 after over six years in Sun Peaks.

“Many factors led us here, but one stands out among them: the [Thompson-Nicola Regional District’s] recent policy changes around commercial waste management in Sun Peaks,” Co-owner Brian Gillespie said in a statement to the community. 

Gillespie encouraged community members to inform themselves about the changes and how they will affect Sun Peaks moving forward. He also thanked his business partner, Norm, along with clients and the community for their support over the more than six years the business operated. 

A. Cage, president of Top of the Mountain Accommodations and Management Ltd., also raised concerns about the changes in a letter to council, writing new rules would create additional costs for the company, including labour, vehicle use and transportation. He also raised concerns about the logistics of storing garbage and transporting it to Kamloops, as well as the potential for increased traffic and safety issues. 

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District acknowledged in its Oct. 1 report that the charges would increase waste management costs for some businesses that have historically disposed of commercial waste at the transfer station at no direct cost. 

However, staff maintained that restrictions on large commercial loads were necessary to address operational challenges and costs associated with increased commercial use of the facility. 

According to the report, the delay will also temporarily postpone anticipated financial savings associated with the changes, including reduced disposal costs for the municipality and lower hauling and operational costs for the regional district. 

Currently, the municipality pays all disposal fees for garbage dropped at the Sun Peaks site. Meanwhile, Thompson-Nicola Regional District solid waste services, funded in part through Sun Peaks property taxes, cover hauling costs. 

Moving forward with the delay

During the board meeting, O’Toole encouraged businesses not to wait until the new implementation date to make arrangements. 

“Let’s not wait until May to move forward,” he said. 

According to the report, the additional six months will allow the regional district to continue working with businesses, strata corporations, property management companies and private waste haulers to identify alternative waste disposal arrangements. 

Neither the municipality nor the Thompson-Nicola Regional District intends to provide commercial waste collections services. Instead, businesses will be responsible for arranging private collection or transporting their waste to the Heffley Creek Eco-Depot. 

The Heffley Creek facility, opened in 2013, is a full-service site designed to accommodate large commercial loads, including construction and demolition materials. It includes safe turnaround space for trucks and trailers, expanded recycling services and a weigh scale system that allows accurate disposal fees to be charged directly to commercial clients.