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By Jay Arthur
Well, finally! Bill 90 is passed. The long wait for funding is not quite over, but we are at least on our way.
We have the enabling legislation. Now all we need is the stuff that follows. And all indications are that it is not far behind. The big question now will be how long it actually takes to get the cheques out of industry's coffers and into the pockets of the long-suffering municipalities.
The stage is now set for some very interesting times. By the time you read this the official letters will have gone out to the potential directors of Waste Diversion Ontario.
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario will appoint its guys. CSR will appoint its guys. The newspaper guys will send their big guy (from the dailies) to the big table and their little guy (from the weeklies) to the observation deck where there is a great view but no vote. The Retail Council will send its representative.
The Brewers, who have nothing to do with the blue box but a lot to do with efficient recovery systems, will be there, as will the LCBO, which knows nothing about recovery systems but really should learn.
The chemical guys will draw lots to see who gets to be a voting member and who gets to be just an observer. The fibres guys and the waste haulers will make up the party with their reps on the observation deck.
Scurrying quietly in at the back will be the non-voting bureaucrat appointed by the minister. And he or she will be followed by two other minister appointees, neither from the public service.
One of these individuals will have no vote. The other? Well, we're not sure. Whilst the legislation is quite clear about the other board members who get votes, this individual has to satisfy him or herself with just the prospect of full participation. The minister "may" give this person a vote. Or he may not.
At any rate, it will be quite the gathering around the table when they sit down to do business.
We can be fairly sure what to expect from some sides of the table. Their positions on these matters have been fairly consistent.
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The users of packaging will be reading from the CSR song sheet and there will be much talk of efficiencies and the need for a level playing field. There will be no mention of the need to make packaging decisions up front to enhance and maintain the efficiencies. There will be no talk of plastic spouts on polycoat containers or nylon in PET bottles.
The LCBO will talk about anything except take-back. The Brewers will talk of nothing else.
The newspaper guys will talk about the notion that they pay their way anyway and will once again put forward "free" and frankly not terribly useful ad space as an alternative to actually putting any cash on the table.
The chemical guys will want everyone to stop suggesting there is anything harmful about their floor cleaners and will present everyone with a plastic cupful of Mr. Cleen as a mid-day refreshment. All the CSR reps will drink it.
The Retail Council will join all moves to prevent the words "take" and "back" from appearing in the same sentence.
All eyes will be on the minister's appointees. If one is to be the "conscience" of the board, what is the other there for?
But the big question is: What will the municipal reps have to say?
Will they continue to play the cap-in-hand role, saying little and being grateful for any handouts they can get? Or will they do their job and truly represent the municipal point of view?
AMO's record to date has been less than spectacular. This is clearly not a priority and given the relatively few dollars involved, this is understandable. The focus has been very much on getting the bill through.
Well, it's through.
If the WDO board is to be what it is supposed to be--a coming together of the private and public sectors for the common good--then now is the time for the municipalities to speak up.
Now is the time to push for real action on product design and markets instead of public relations.
Now is the time for efficiency studies to look at the entire system, not just the parts.
Even if it's not on the song sheet.
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