We hear that today’s Ontario budget may contain an unwelcome surprise for municipal waste managers: a quiet mid year cut to provincial funding for municipal Household Hazardous Waste programs. The province has been subsidizing these programs since 2010, when it ignominiously cancelled the “eco fees” that were supposed to pay for them. Bill 91, the Waste Reduction Act, was supposed to fill the gap, but died on the order paper when the election was called. Presumably a successor waste diversion Bill will be brought forward soon, but new laws usually take time to implement.
The Speech from the Throne doesn’t mention waste issues. Neither did the May budget speech or highlights.
