If you do it for one, you have to do it for all of them. 

That was the reasoning behind Moose Jaw City Council denying a request from the Moose Jaw and District Food Bank to waive landfill and permit fees for the renovation of their new home at 270 Fairford St. W.

The food bank had been at its current location since 1984 and required more space. 

Mayor Fraser Tolmie voiced his support for the food bank but was afraid of setting a precedence.  

“What you do in the community is very important and we have been faced with other organizations within the community that happen to come and ask for some support. But, unfortunately, this does set a precedence for us,” he said. 

Coun. Heather Eby felt it would allow other non-profits to ask for breaks as well. 

“It opens up a big large sum of money if we do approve these sorts of things because there are dozens and dozens of great organizations in our community that do good work that, at times, need to use the landfill, or they're permitting,” Eby said. 

It was estimated that the construction debris would be about 10 tonnes at an estimated cost of $690 and the permit fees would cost about $2,114. 

Also taken into the consideration was a request by the Salvation Army in 2018 that was also denied by city council for the same reasons. 

"The Salvation Army request would have been ongoing. This is a one-time thing, but however I understand the financial implications of other groups coming forward,” said Coun. Doug Blanc 

The city took into consideration that a precedent has been set that non-profit groups should pay for direct services, food security is not within the city’s mandate and support should be left to the citizens and the province.