Environment
Eco Fees — A Cash Grab by Any Name
Jul 8th
Along with the HST coming into effect in July 1st, more Eco fees came into effect covering a wide range of products. The Eco fees are supposed to be fees charged to manufactures based on the amount of products or packaging they put into the market place. Stewardship Ontario which receives these fees claims not to be government yet they were setup by the provincial government.
If they are not government, then someone or some group is getting the money we are all being forced to pay. The manufactures are allowed to pass along the fees they are charged to the consumer in any manner they choose. At this point, the fees are appearing on our sales receipts as an added fee one which we pay — you guessed it — HST. But it’s not a tax you see, you just have to pay tax on it.
There appears to be no established standard as to how the fees are assessed and as such the consumer has zero protection from the manufacturers taking whatever they want as the cost of passing on the fee. Since it isn’t attached to the product at the point of the consumer making their selection, we don’t even have buying power to limit the fees to a minimum. More >
Tags: conservatives, eco fee, hst, liberals, mcguinty, provincial government, stewardship ontario, tax dollars, waste diversionWhen Will Revenue Override Prudence?
Apr 19th
As the volcano in Iceland continues to spew forth ash and the cloud continues to spread itself across Europe and now apparently to the eastern shores of North America I’ve wondered how long the airlines would be tolerant of the prudence being shown by the air traffic controllers.
I’m going to say at the outset, I have never flown on an aircraft and at this point in my life have never had a need to. I have on occasion turned my vehicle into a flying vehicle due to lead footitis but I’ve never left the ground.
I’m sure millions of travellers stuck in countries they are trying to leave would certainly like to see planes flying to get them home. Over the weekend some European airlines sent up test flights through the volcanic ash cloud. At this point, they seem to be claiming their planes returned without any problems or damage.
Affected airlines are losing millions of dollars a day as this situation continues to drag on. Weather forecasters are now saying this will likely continue for days at a minimum and possible weeks depending on how long it takes this volcano to settle down. Meanwhile a NATO F-16 who flew through the cloud area reportedly has sustained damage to its engines. More >
Tags: air traffic controllers, eastern us seaboard, european airlines, iceland volcano, NATO, newfoundland, planes, test flights, travellers, volcanic ash cloud, weather forecasters, weather patternsLeave My Veggies Alone
Jun 23rd
The Globe & Mail is reporting Monsanto & Dole are wanting to tinker with vegetables, and are undertaking a five year project to do so. The objective is to “improve the nutrition, flavour, colour, texture and aroma of these vegetables,” the companies said.
Leave my veggies alone dudes! When is governments going to wake up to the fact that genetically and chemically messing with our food supply is not only killing our environment but it is killing us? Literally.
As long as huge firms like Monsanto and Dole are allowed to mess with our food, our ability to avoid their impact becomes increasingly imposible. Monsanto produces seeds, so growing your own vegetables to avoid the tinkered with versions will become increasingly impossible. More >
No tags for this post.Ontarians to Experience Recycling Fees
Mar 31st
Waste Diversion Ontario has come up with a plan that should see electronic waste diverted from landfills and into recycling programs. The plan comes with an estimated cost of about $62million which is expected to be financed through fees consumers would pay at the time of purchasing their electronics.
Fees are also being suggested to fund the disposal of old vehicles tires. Although many retailers have been charging $5 / tire for disposal for many years now. Which begs the question, if the government hasn’t been collecting that $5 / tire, who has? If the government does actually impose a disposal fee for tires will retailers then be stopped from collecting the current fee in addition? More >
Tags: Ontario, recycling, taxes, user feesSmog Has a Hundred Year Old History
Jun 10th
Most Canadians would think of smog and smog days as something that originated in the late 20th century. In fact, the term ‘smog’ was coined back in 1905. Back then Dr. Henry Antoine Des Voeux delivered a paper to the Public Health Congress in London, England about the air in London. He noted there was a health threat inherent in urban living due to the pervasive presence of a “smokey fog” or “smog”.
In this country concerns were being raised about smog in 1946 during the debate over the building of the Spadina Expressway in Toronto. They even started a committee to investigate the long term of effects from smog in the preceding two years. A report in the Toronto Star said, “Toronto’s struggle with smoke-laden air will apparently continue for some time” It noted that the study group was planning to implement “public education” – “an admittedly slower way of addressing the problem,” it added. More >
No tags for this post.Will the Conservatives Obey New Law?
Feb 15th
It appears the party who ran on a platform of ‘law and order’ and ‘those who obey the rules benefit’ are about to have their standards tested. The House of Commons yesterday passed a law compelling the government (aka the Conservatives at the moment) to honour Canada’s commitment to Kyoto. The bill passed yesterday has to yet pass the Senate which is predominantly Liberal and as such will likely pass it fairly quickly.
No tags for this post.Tories Engage in Shell Game
Jan 20th
So let’s see, last year (and it is a year ago) the Tories came to power with a minority government. Not long afterwards they quietly killed about 100 environmental programs that the Liberals had put into place. Some hadn’t yet kicked in some were running rather well. They also made it pretty clear they have no intention of honouring the Kyoto accord to which we signed on.
No tags for this post.
