Blogs

On July 7th, the Competition Bureau posted a response to proposed amendments by the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks. The bureau’s comments, while notably one-sided, reinforce the value of competition in sustaining healthy markets. Surprisingly, the post also highlights a concern many stakeholders have raised for some time: Ontario’s recycling framework needs clearer rules for where competition is appropriate and where coordination is required. The broader debate has become focused on whether a recycling system should be competitive or “monopolistic,” rather than on the conditions required for competition to function effectively. That framing risks misusing the word monopoly. For example, in all other Canadian provinces, one not-for-profit organization is assigned responsibility for managing tire recycling and delivering system-wide accountability; however, that does not mean competition is absent. Competition occurs at the service-provider level, including collection, hauling, processing, and end-market development. Across Canada, this model has helped achieve some of the highest tire recycling rates in the world, precisely because it combines clear accountabili...