Letters: July 22

Eco fee causes fuming, Doug Steele

Solar Energy, Michael Wise

Clear Garbage Bags, Jean Brown

Too Many Fireworks, D. Marvin

Eco fee causes fuming

The eco fee levied by Stewardship Ontario has me fuming!

Last week we picked up a jug of household bleach at a Canadian Tire Store at a low price. It was a good thing I was using a credit card with $5000 credit on it or we may not have gotten past the cash. The dollar jug of bleach had a 39¢ eco fee on it and there was HST on the entire price, costing me $1.57.

Frustrated am I! The government web site had nothing about an eco fee or tax on it. The National Post alerted me to Stewardship Ontario’s site. Their site emphasized that they were not a government agency even though they had been created by government regulations to administer the waste reduction program.

Neat eh!

From another web site I have taken this statement:

Stewardship Ontario is the Industry Funding Organization (IFO) for Blue Box Waste. Companies that are designated as stewards for Blue Box Waste can discharge their legal obligations under the Waste Diversion Act by registering, reporting and paying fees to Stewardship Ontario.

The above is an enlightening statement. The Stewardship Ontario charges the designated companies set fees, which are passed down to the retailer. The retailer can suck it up as Walmart is perceived to have done or the retailer can pass it on to the consumer like Canadian Tire did to us.

Why does all this irritate me so? It’s the feeling I am being gouged. It’s an unannounced add-on cost to the store product. It’s the perception that Stewardship Ontario is unaccountable to anyone. It’s the fact that the politicians have let the civil service set up agencies and bureaucracies that administer public policy. It’s that our politicians appear to take no responsibilities for these bureaucracies.

Change started back in the Conservative Mike Harris Government when they created monster municipalities, monster school boards and Ontario Parks. These programs have been continued by the present government with the Local Health Integration Networks, Stewardship Ontario and in the next couple of years, Regional Tourism districts.

All these agencies are supposed to operate at an arm’s length distance to the elected politicians so their budget does not get mixed up with the provincial budget and the politicians do not have to fire anyone if they have to downsize. The agencies must raise fees or fire personnel to stay on budget. It’s a not-in-my-back-yard system.

I believe that our elected politicians are the people who are responsible for any acts taken by the agencies. When a public agency charges a fee I believe it is a tax. Fees paid for services from corporations or organizations that are not in the competitive market place are taxes. It is the responsibly of voters to hold politicians accountable for any fees or taxes they levy to run the agencies they create through regulation.

If you agree, write a blistering letter to the Premier or your Member of the Legislature.

Doug Steele

Solar Energy

The announcement by Ontario Power Generation earlier this month, under the direction of the Ontario government, that the rate to be paid for solar-generated electrical energy is to be reduced for ground mounted systems is welcome news. Unfortunately, it does not go far enough.

At the original rate of 80.2 cents per kWh, the producer is being paid about 20 times the cost of generating energy in conventional power plants. At this rate, if just 2% of electrical energy in Ontario is from solar sources, the result is a 40% increase in energy costs. Even with the new rate for ground-mounted systems of 58.8 cents per kWh, obtaining 2% of our electrical energy from solar sources would raise costs by over 25%. And these increases do not include the cost of maintaining and operating conventional plant in standby mode to be brought on line whenever clouds appear or the sun goes down. The potential decrease in carbon emissions is extremely small, at considerable cost to the consumer.

The government of Ontario has now admitted that it underestimated the extent to which people and businesses would look upon the generation of solar power as a guaranteed investment opportunity, an opportunity funded at the expense of the consumer, and have come to realize that continuing with the original plan will significantly increase the cost of electrical energy. They need to be honest about the effects of this program. By signing long term contracts at the current rates, they are committing both businesses and private consumers to increasing energy costs in the years ahead. Increasing the cost to businesses is not going to enhance their competitiveness or improve the province's employment situation. Increasing the cost to consumers on low incomes and pensioners is only going to create hardships and detract from their quality of life.

We need to find alternative sources of energy, and the government is to be commended for its commitment to this objective. However, rather than hurriedly implementing poorly thought out programs in its desire to be seen to be doing something, it needs to first undertake thorough analyses of their environmental, economic and social effects. Having learned the true cost of their solar program the hard way, they need to admit to its potential adverse long-term economic and social effects. Their only responsible course of action is to cancel this program now, before it becomes a major burden on the people of Ontario.

Michael Wise

Clear Garbage Bags

I read about the concept of using clear plastic to house our garbage and think that a better idea for our township would be to use strong, wax paper-lined paper bags for garbage- that way the paper would decompose and break down.  Surely we can trust everyone to sort their garbage and recycle it and thus get beyond see- through plastic bags.  We must drastically reduce our use of plastic that is thrown out at land fill sites- there's no two ways about it. 

(Rev.) Jean Brown.

Too Many Fireworks

Another summer's night past, and again the peaceful quiet enjoyment of my existence, has been shattered by the moronic behaviour of others. It seems the practice of discharging fireworks is happening with a far too generous degree of frequency. I am all for celebrating major holidays throughout the summer with a controlled fireworks display, but can do without the self-serving antics of a few, who have little, or no regard for the quiet enjoyment of others.

D. Marvin