Blue box shift a double-edged sword

The timing is a bit odd, for no particular reason, for Niagara Region to shuffle the deck of responsibility where blue box infrastructure is concerned.

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BBBS launch

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Niagara launched “The BIG Start” program with a $6,000 cheque presentation from Meridian Credit Union on Monday. BBBS’s goal is to support over 50 children and youth involved with the group with a back-to-school shopping event in late August. For details on how to contribute, call BBBS at 905-646-3230.

DSBN, WNSS situation a wrap

That’s going to be a wrap on the letters regarding DSBN, WNSS and the situation with the 2023 grad feature.

The letter and comments received could have filled a 32-page paper with all letters and that kind of overkill is simply not constructive. It is rare of NewsNow to carry letters even two straight weeks but, due to the volume, it seemed necessary to run a couple more this week.

The whole thing was a sad example of too much control in the wrong person’s hands, but that is how mass bureaucracy rolls any more. Done. Moving on. M.W.

Now, the shuffle is supposed to be completely internal and no changes should be apparent to the taxpayers - this according to provincial government edicts on the topic.

The major change is the cost of paying for residential blue box service will no longer be borne by taxpayers in Niagara as of Jan. 1, 2024.

Sounds great, eh?

An expensive service like that coming off the taxpayers’ overburdened shoulder....should be a nice little reduction coming our way.

Not.

The discussed savings have ranged anywhere from $3 million to $7 million, so it’s not chump change but, to the taxpayer, it is largely irrelevant because Niagara Region’s 2024 budget will consume every bit of that as a nice little appetizer before it moves onto adding another tax hike.

Logically, for me, then why bother changing?

Sure, it takes the responsibility off the region’s administration but it puts it in the hands of the private sector. When has that ever gone well for taxpayers?

When you read all the details of the outline provided by the region’s communications department, you can understand the mechanism of it, but there really is no impetus for the move other than Ford’s government said it’s a good idea.

There are provisions to ensure it is, at best, a lateral move at the outset, but it will evolve. The problem is, once in the hands of private sector suppliers and being paid for by “producers”

- meaning corporations which generate the recyclable material in the first place - if there is a corner to be cut, it will be cut.

Further though, it will prove a double-edged cost sword for residents as you can take this to the bank, you will pay twice.

Why? How?

So, first Niagara Region saves the money by the financial responsibility shift. That savings will not be passed on to the pocket which has paid it to datetaxpayers.

The other side of the coin is corporations are now being handed a major expense, a new expense to them. When was the last time you saw a corporation say, “Gee, we just got handed another form or new taxation, let’s just absorb that. We really don’t want to pass that on to our valued customers.”

Uhhh, never, would be the correct answer.

The result will mean you will pay more for whatever you buy to offset the financial impact of the manufacturer who now has to pay to have the packaging recycled.

While you are paying more there, good reader, you will also STILL be paying the same level of tax as though Niagara Region was footing the bill thereby creating the scenario where you get the privilege of paying double for what you were already getting.

Don’t you love it?!

You have to love government.

They get to create millions of dollars in new regional revenue but they didn’t raise taxes a percentage point. With the support of the provincial government, they off-loaded the payment responsibility, freeing up tax dollars, and putting the cost in the private sector where no controls are in place to harness cost increases.

It does not seem like a recipe for success to me.