In this update:
1. TEA’s election campaign is gaining momentum
2. Toronto taxpayers on the hook for industry’s wasteful habits

1. TEA’s election campaign is gaining momentum
Mid Campaign Report Card is a hit in the media!
On July 9th, we released our Mid-Campaign Mayoral Candidate Report Card, and brought the environment into the spotlight for the municipal election. The key message that the 5 top mayoral candidates need to work on their environmental policies and platforms was well received: TEA’s report card was covered in a number of major media outlets, including the Star, Sun, Globe and Mail, National Post, EYE, InsideToronto, CBC, Torontoist, MetroNews, Newstalk 1010, and Spacing Votes. 

TEA Guest Blogs on Election issues

• The Toronto Board of Trade’s election blog VoteToronto2010 features an article on the importance of local manufacturing and local procurement for a healthy green economy: It’s the Green, Manufacturing Economy, Stupid by Executive Director Franz Hartmann.

• We're happy to say that Torontoist.com is our media partner for the municipal election - read our first in a series of guest blogs about the environment: Where is the Environment?

Our 6 Environmental Election Priorities have now received endorsement of 40 community groups and organizations -- the latest is the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, that said these priorities are “consistent with RNAO’s [provincial] platform and we’d be proud to join the list of endorsers.”

2. Toronto taxpayers on the hook for industry’s wasteful habits
Though the controversial Eco-Fee program has been scrapped, Toronto ratepayers are still on the hook for a minimum of $17 million every year to cover the costs of collecting and managing wasteful, and sometimes toxic, products and packaging. TEA is calling on the Province to immediately introduce Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation that makes producers responsible for the full costs of their waste.
When companies can offload their waste and environmental costs to the city taxpayer, they have no incentive to find innovative, cost effective and environmentally responsible ways to design their products and packaging.
The Minister of Environment has already signalled that he is interested in promoting EPR with the review of the Waste Diversion Act, and TEA is pushing to make this the law in Ontario. The result of effective EPR legislation will mean relief for Toronto taxpayers, waste diverted from landfills, and money available to invest in building a green Toronto instead of subsidizing wasteful corporations.