FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 11, 2006
McGuinty
deposit/return plan a loser – and Liberals know it: OPSEU
TORONTO – The Mcguinty
government’s plan to have The Beer Store collect empty wine
and liquor containers is seriously flawed and the Liberals
know it, says the union representing liquor board employees.
Any new deposit/return system
should be run by the LCBO to ensure that containers are
re-used as much as possible, said Leah Casselman, president of
the Ontario Public Service Employees Union.
“If McGuinty’s plan is such a
great idea, why was there no public consultation? Why did the
big brains in the Premier’s office decide to announce it on a
Sunday morning before Sept. 11?” Casselman asked. “Obviously
the Liberals are trying to get credit on environmental issues
while avoiding any public scrutiny of the serious thinking
errors involved in what they’re actually doing.”
A lot of people who shop at the
LCBO never go near The Beer Store, which can only make the
deposit/return system less effective, Casselman said.
“The McGuinty plan is a plan
for consumer inconvenience, and planned inconvenience
guarantees a system that will function poorly,” she said.
“That’s bad enough, but a much more serious problem is that
giving control of empties to The Beer Store will actively
prevent the re-use of containers.
“The only way to create a
system that encourages re-use is through close co-operation
between the retailer – the LCBO – and the wineries and
distilleries,” Casselman said. “The LCBO has a close business
relationship and logistical links with its suppliers, and as
the largest buyer of alcohol in the world, it also has
considerable influence with them.
“The LCBO is an alcohol
super-power,” she said. “It has not only the obligation but
also the ability to be a global leader in
environmentally-friendly packaging. In contrast, The Beer
Store has no connection whatsoever to wineries and
distilleries.”
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For more information:
Randy Robinson (416)
448-7441; (416) 788-9134 (cell)
