[GreenYes] sham EPR in Canada

["Helen B. Spiegelman" <hspie@home.com>]

The Ontario government is seeking comment on proposed legislation (Bill 90 
- see link below) that would institutionalize a form of sham EPR in 
Canada's largest province.

The proposed legislation would create a permanent, multi-level, 
industry-controlled pseudo-governmental bureaucracy which would have the 
power to tax producers of consumer products to pay 'up to half' of the 
'net' costs of municipal recycling programs.

In my hasty first reading, this proposal will have the effect of raising 
costs to consumers without any assurance of tackling the root cause of 
waste or encouraging waste reduction.

Worse, the industry groups who are enthusiastically endorsing this proposed 
legislation (and had a large hand in its drafting) are touting the program 
as a 'model' for the rest of Canada.

Most likely, the industry hopes to dismantle the EPR system established in 
British Columbia, which differs from the ON model in several key respects, 
most notably that it gives producers the freedom to create their own 
producer-responsibility programs rather than being forced to pay membership 
into producer responsibility organizations.

Encouragingly, I understand that there is dissension within industry itself 
about Ontario's approach. Some businesses are rightfully concerned about 
paying taxes to an unelected body (potentially dominated by their competitors).

Alas, the Ontario bill has strong support from senior municipal engineering 
staff, who recognize correctly that this program will entrench their 
programs. It will also, regrettably for municipal taxpayers, entrench 
public financing of at least 50% of the 'net' costs of recycling (not to 
mention 100% of the financing of landfilling what cannot be recycled...).

The bill makes no provision for performance standards of the 
industry-financed programs (all it does is ensure money is poured into 
them, at the combined expense of both consumers and taxpayers).

Read Bill 90 at:

http://www.ontla.on.ca/documents/Bills/37_Parliament/Session2/b090_e.htm

Helen S.

Forgive the temporary inconvenience.....

My email address is changing. Please update your address book so I won't 
miss any important messages from you.

My new address (which is already in working order) is:
hspie@home.com

My other contact information is as follows:
3570 West 22nd Avenue
Vancouver, British Columbia V6S 1J3
phone: 604/731-8464
fax: 604/731-8463