Ontario pushes pause on recycling watchdog, citing need to cut 'red tape.' Critics decry loss of independent oversight - 2020-01-17
Ontario pushes pause on recycling watchdog, citing need to cut 'red tape.' Critics decry loss of independent oversight January 17, 2020,
Premier Doug Ford's government is weakening the powers of the independent recycling regulator that was supposed to hold producers of electronics or household hazardous waste accountable for the products they sell.
Citing a desire to reduce "red tape," Environment Minister Jeff Yurek's office told the Star that the new Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA) "makes Ontario a less competitive place to do business, which increases costs for consumers."
It is unclear what precipitated the minister's decision, although Yurek and his staff have been the focus of a lobbying campaign by the industries that sell computers, printers, paint and household cleaners. In letters and emails obtained by the Star and during a Dec. 5 meeting with Yurek, lobbyists complained of "red tape" and "scope creep" by the oversight authority.
