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Pre-construction work for the Scarborough subway extension project began in 2021 at the northeast corner of Sheppard Avenue East and McCowan Road in Scarborough. Toronto City council and Metrolinx are fighting over who will pay for a proposed link at Kennedy Station between the subway extension and the planned Eglinton East LRT. (Metrolinx)

Pre-construction work for the Scarborough subway extension project began in 2021 at the northeast corner of Sheppard Avenue East and McCowan Road in Scarborough. Toronto City council and Metrolinx are fighting over who will pay for a proposed link at Kennedy Station between the subway extension and the planned Eglinton East LRT. (Metrolinx)

Vandertop, a co-founder of Don't Mess with the Don, says the restaurant chain Tim Hortons has a big problem when it comes to litter. The registered charity, run by volunteers, cleans up trash from ravines in the Don Valley and says it has picked up about 136,078 kilograms of garbage in the past six years.

The number one brand it finds in its garbage cleanups is Tim Hortons, Vandertop said.

"Imagine — Tim Hortons has more than 4,000 stores across Canada now and that would be millions and millions of cups and lids all strewn out throughout our parks, streets, wild spaces. And this is only cups and lids. There's also food wrappers, containers and other beverage containers," she said.

"I think Tim Hortons, as a flagship Canadian company, has a tremendous opportunity here to do something good for the world and for the environment that we live in. This is not in line with the times."

Karen Wirsig, senior program manager for plastics at Environmental Defence, an environmental advocacy organization, said it's important to hold corporations accountable for the waste they produce. Wirsig said Tim Hortons is a major generator of single-use plastic waste when it comes to its takeout packaging.

Vandertop, a co-founder of Don't Mess with the Don, says the restaurant chain Tim Hortons has a big problem when it comes to litter. The registered charity, run by volunteers, cleans up trash from ravines in the Don Valley and says it has picked up about 136,078 kilograms of garbage in the past six years.

The number one brand it finds in its garbage cleanups is Tim Hortons, Vandertop said.

"Imagine — Tim Hortons has more than 4,000 stores across Canada now and that would be millions and millions of cups and lids all strewn out throughout our parks, streets, wild spaces. And this is only cups and lids. There's also food wrappers, containers and other beverage containers," she said.

"I think Tim Hortons, as a flagship Canadian company, has a tremendous opportunity here to do something good for the world and for the environment that we live in. This is not in line with the times."

Karen Wirsig, senior program manager for plastics at Environmental Defence, an environmental advocacy organization, said it's important to hold corporations accountable for the waste they produce. Wirsig said Tim Hortons is a major generator of single-use plastic waste when it comes to its takeout packaging.

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The province is in the midst of shifting the cost burden of trash away from municipalities (and municipal taxpayers), onto companies that make and sell products that generate waste.  

For material that fills up blue boxes — including non-alcoholic drink containers — industry began paying an increased share of the costs last year and is to cover all of the costs from 2026.

How it works: companies pay fees, based on the amount of waste material they create, to organizations that manage their sector's recycling programs. 

The theory of the system — known as extended producer responsibility — is that it gives companies an incentive to reduce their packaging waste and increase recycling rates. Otherwise companies have to absorb the fees as a cost of doing business or pass them on to consumers. 

When the government kick-started work on the deposit-return system last year, Piccini said it would "enable consumers to receive a refund for returning used beverage containers."

For more than a year, momentum was building toward a key shift to try to improve things. Premier Doug Ford's government was seriously considering creating a deposit-return system for soft drink containers, a system that's already in place in eight other provinces and that already exists for beer, wine and spirits in Ontario.

Then suddenly, with zero advance notice and no public announcement — and with a potential LCBO strike dominating the news — senior government officials scrapped plans for the deposit-return system.

What follows is the inside story of how, in a battle with big financial implications for companies and big environmental implications for Ontario, Doug Ford's government sided with Big Grocery over Big Beverage.

By abandoning deposit-return, the government bowed to pressure from the supermarket chains, said Wallis of Environmental Defence.

"It's frustrating the amount of power that they seem to have and the amount of influence that they seem to have over policy," Wallis said.

"These are companies that make money, lots of money from selling these drinks to us," she said. "Them refusing to participate in the kind of program that would actually keep these containers out of our environment is honestly shameful."

The notion that consumers could face added costs under the deposit system is now the government's key justification for scrapping it.

The province is in the midst of shifting the cost burden of trash away from municipalities (and municipal taxpayers), onto companies that make and sell products that generate waste.  

For material that fills up blue boxes — including non-alcoholic drink containers — industry began paying an increased share of the costs last year and is to cover all of the costs from 2026.

How it works: companies pay fees, based on the amount of waste material they create, to organizations that manage their sector's recycling programs. 

The theory of the system — known as extended producer responsibility — is that it gives companies an incentive to reduce their packaging waste and increase recycling rates. Otherwise companies have to absorb the fees as a cost of doing business or pass them on to consumers. 

When the government kick-started work on the deposit-return system last year, Piccini said it would "enable consumers to receive a refund for returning used beverage containers."

For more than a year, momentum was building toward a key shift to try to improve things. Premier Doug Ford's government was seriously considering creating a deposit-return system for soft drink containers, a system that's already in place in eight other provinces and that already exists for beer, wine and spirits in Ontario.

Then suddenly, with zero advance notice and no public announcement — and with a potential LCBO strike dominating the news — senior government officials scrapped plans for the deposit-return system.

What follows is the inside story of how, in a battle with big financial implications for companies and big environmental implications for Ontario, Doug Ford's government sided with Big Grocery over Big Beverage.

By abandoning deposit-return, the government bowed to pressure from the supermarket chains, said Wallis of Environmental Defence.

"It's frustrating the amount of power that they seem to have and the amount of influence that they seem to have over policy," Wallis said.

"These are companies that make money, lots of money from selling these drinks to us," she said. "Them refusing to participate in the kind of program that would actually keep these containers out of our environment is honestly shameful."

The notion that consumers could face added costs under the deposit system is now the government's key justification for scrapping it.

Charlie Pinkerton, who explains why Doug Ford is featured in a new video flipping burgers and talking booze. He also breaks down the big revelations contained in newly released documents about the Ontario Science Centre.

A small, odd traffic island was recently installed in the middle of the cycling lane that runs along the north side of Adelaide Street West, at the northwest corner of York Street.

A small, odd traffic island was recently installed in the middle of the cycling lane that runs along the north side of Adelaide Street West, at the northwest corner of York Street.

In a video message posted on X on Monday, Premier Doug Ford announced the release of the tech tool that allows Ontario residents to locate stores, other than the LCBO, selling alcohol.

“Our new interactive map shows thousands of convenient options where you can still buy beer, wine, spirits and other drinks across the province.”

The release of the map comes days after LCBO workers walked off the job prompting  province-wide closures of the government-run liquor store.  The announcement is stirring up angry reactions from many residents and city officials, who accused Ford of union busting and failing to address pressing socio-economic issues.

“While the Ford government wastes billions of tax dollars, schools need fixing, hospital wait times need attention, cities need support for transit, services & infrastructure, the science centre needs saving and people struggle to make ends meet. Yet, this guy’s priority is beer,” Councillor Josh Matlow wrote on X on Monday.

“You’re using public dollars to break a strike, undermine workers rights and to destroy an agency that generates $2.5 billion for healthcare and other services. But this app looks cute. Why didn’t you use this kind of tech to save lives from COVID19 or to find ERs,” one X user wrote.

“Can I get a map of where I can find emergency clinics that are open?,” another person said.

In a video message posted on X on Monday, Premier Doug Ford announced the release of the tech tool that allows Ontario residents to locate stores, other than the LCBO, selling alcohol.

“Our new interactive map shows thousands of convenient options where you can still buy beer, wine, spirits and other drinks across the province.”

The release of the map comes days after LCBO workers walked off the job prompting  province-wide closures of the government-run liquor store.  The announcement is stirring up angry reactions from many residents and city officials, who accused Ford of union busting and failing to address pressing socio-economic issues.

“While the Ford government wastes billions of tax dollars, schools need fixing, hospital wait times need attention, cities need support for transit, services & infrastructure, the science centre needs saving and people struggle to make ends meet. Yet, this guy’s priority is beer,” Councillor Josh Matlow wrote on X on Monday.

“You’re using public dollars to break a strike, undermine workers rights and to destroy an agency that generates $2.5 billion for healthcare and other services. But this app looks cute. Why didn’t you use this kind of tech to save lives from COVID19 or to find ERs,” one X user wrote.

“Can I get a map of where I can find emergency clinics that are open?,” another person said.

All we know is that the Eglinton LRT will not open for another three months, every day that Metrolinx does not give a defined opening date.