Environment minister bungling phase-out of OTS, say Thompson and Arnott

Ontario environment minister Glenn Murray is purposely adding to Ontario Tire Stewardships (OTS)'s already bloated surplus by missing his own deadline to phase out the eco-tax collection agency, say Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson and Wellington-Halton Hill MPP Ted Arnott.
 
In February, 2016, the minister told the Legislature that the OTS would be phased out within the year. That deadline has come and gone, with the minister now saying the program will instead be phased out by December, 2018, a full 22 months after the initial deadline.
 
"This government needs to accept responsibility for the mess it has made with the OTS program," said Arnott. "The Liberals still haven't explained why it is taking almost two years longer than they originally said it would, to wind up this program."
 
While the minister fails to deliver on his promises, the organization continues to collect roughly $80-million per year from Ontarians, said Thompson. That is on top of an existing surplus of $50-million the organization has already collected from taxpayers.
 
"If the minister had taken this issue seriously in the beginning, Ontarians would not have overpaid," Thompson said. "They would have had more money in their pockets to cover things like their skyrocketing hydro rates. Now, the minister wants to extend that gouging by almost two years. He needs to account for the money being collected, and return what is rightfully owed to Ontarians."
 
Murray's response to opposition members failed to address how the surplus collected by OTS is being used, or the rationale on extending a timeline for the industry-funding organization to continue adding to its surplus.
 
To view the question from Arnott and Thompson, click here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIKgojbi33c&t