MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of St. John’s East.
MR. MURPHY:Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Ontario announced in June that it would ban outright the collection of so-called environment fees on consumer products, including those fees on the electronics and tires. They said that recycling should be a regular cost of doing business. Tagging consumers for these fees should not be a business opportunity, Mr. Speaker.
I ask the minister: Is she prepared to take another look at recycling in this Province and how much consumers are getting dinged as a result of it?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS SHEA: Mr. Speaker, I think there is a commitment from this government, and probably from any government in this Province in the future, that recycling is important and waste disposal is also important.
There are fees on different materials that we dispose, whether it is paint, tires or electronic equipment. Mr. Speaker, the agency that we deal with for the e-waste, which is the electronic waste, is a non-profit agency. So, for the member’s information, it is not a business that we are conducting this work with; it is a non-profit agency.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John’s East.
MR. MURPHY:Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The problem here is that the EPRA, the group that she is talking about, has $36 million in the bank and none of it has gone back to the consumer.
Will government reassess the program, recycling here, and stop charging the collection of recycling fees plus HST, the government take, for electronic recycling until it has time to look at the overall recycling program in this Province?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS SHEA: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We have an agreement to have the e-waste collected at this time and there is a fee attached to that, but like any program, Mr. Speaker, we will make sure that it meets the needs of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. It is not a lifetime contract that we are in to. We will review as we move forward to make sure that the waste disposal is happening in an appropriate manner and that the cost is appropriate to the consumers of Newfoundland and Labrador.
What we are also committed to, Mr. Speaker, is that we want to deal with waste management in Newfoundland and Labrador; again, whether it is the paint or the tires, or the e-waste or new waste management disposal sites that we have. Mr. Speaker, we are committed to a waste management strategy and we will see that through.
Thank you.