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metronews.ca
news: toronto
THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2010
Minister: Eco fees need to be transparent
Racing. Hot ride
Some retailers have overcharged their customers Opposition calls on ombudsman to investigate TARA WALTON/TORSTAR NEWS SERVICES
Ontario retailers should consider listing the new eco fees on price tags and shelf labels to improve a program that’s caught many frustrated consumers by surprise, Ontario Environment Minister John Gerretsen said yesterday. “That may be an excellent idea,” Gerretsen said in an interview with The Canadian Press. “That’s certainly worth looking at.” It’s about improving the transparency of the new fees, he said, which have been mired in controversy since retailers began to apply them to a wider array of consumer products July 1. The money collected from the fees is meant to fund a provincial program that recycles items that could be potentially hazardous, such as fire extinguishers, household cleaners and paint. But many were surprised when they saw the fees on their bill because there was no public warning from Stewardship Ontario, an industry-led organization that oversees the program. Amid the public confusion, some retailers ended up overcharging customers, sparking a stern rebuke
Confusion Stewardship Ontario, which oversees the ecofee program in Ontario, collects and allocates money from retailers and manufacturers, who determine the fees that they then pass on to consumers. But this has so far led to problems.
John Gerretsen
from Gerretsen. He’s warned Stewardship Ontario that he has “serious concerns” about the availability of information on the program, and has ordered them to stop retailers from overcharging customers. “If the program is not accountable, transparent and subject to audit so that consumers are not paying more than they should, then we may have to take a look at perhaps getting rid of eco-fees altogether,” he said yesterday. Opposition parties say that’s not enough. The governing Liberals must find out where the money is going, or leave it to a third party to find out,
Lack of transparency A fee can be embedded in the sticker price, which means consumers won’t know when or how much they’re being charged. Lack of consistency There’s also confusion about why certain items are being levied, such as environmentally friendly products that use natural ingredients.
they say. “Taxpayers, businesses, we all have a responsibility to now call on the government to give us an account of what this agency has done since it began collecting these fees — multi-millions of dollars,” said Progressive Conservative Frank Klees.
Alex Tagliani laughs after Nathaniel Branch, 3, offers for trade his little Hot Wheels car. TANNIS TOOHEY/TORSTAR NEWS SERVICES
Tagliani drives new toy into town Alex Tagliani, a Montreal native and a driver in the IndyCar Series, showed off his new Honda IndyCar, customized in Hot Wheels style, yesterday at Yonge and Dundas Square.
News in brief
Police search for taxi bandit ROBBERY. Police in Strat-
ford, Ont., have issued an arrest warrant for an alleged bank robber who fled to Toronto in a cab on Tuesday. He made it to Toronto, where police stopped the cab. The suspect ran into the Eaton Centre and got away. THE CANADIAN PRESS
THE CANADIAN PRESS
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THE CANADIAN PRESS
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In some cases, the robber would pistol-whip victims. Oslee Mitchell, 26, has been charged with numerous counts of armed robbery, wearing a disguise, assault causing bodily harm, assault with a weapon, possession of stolen property and possession of an automobile master key. He was due in court yesterday.
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A Toronto man faces a total of 52 charges after a string of robberies and assaults during the last four months. Police allege the suspect was responsible for 20 retail and bank robberies in Toronto between March and this week. It’s alleged the suspect was armed with a handgun and wore a disguise when he committed the robberies and fled in a stolen vehicle.
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Alleged robber faces 52 charges
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