Alberta conservaive advocacy group The 1905 Committee said the eco-fee proposal in the Alberta government’s updated recycling program is a new green tax. Effective April 1, the Alberta government plans to slap a 40 cent to $1 recycling fee on various electronic items companies sell. “They say it’s for the environment, but why does it feel like just another hit to our wallets?” said 1905 Committee Principal Nadine Wellwood in a Thursday email to supporters. “Here’s the kicker: all this is happening while we’re still trying to keep up with the skyrocketing cost of living.” Alberta Environment and Protected Areas acting press secretary Ashley Stevenson responded by saying the government is committed to remaining the lowest taxed jurisdiction in Canada, which is why it passed the Alberta Taxpayer Protection Amendment Act to protect Albertans against future tax increases. “Alberta’s stewardship program was created by former premier Ralph Klein in 1993,” said Stevenson. “The stewardship program has recycled millions of tons of tires, paint, used oil and electronics over those years, stopping these common goods from ending up in a landfill.”Stevenson pointed out the stewardship program is revenue neutral and reflects the marginal cost difference between sending waste to landfills and recycling. This means it does not enrich anyone.Gas, groceries, and other items have seen their prices go up. Under this recycling program, Wellwood said it will led to more fees on everyday essentials. While she is all for caring for the planet, she said there “has to be a better way to do this without making everything more expensive for us regular folks.” She asked if life was pricey enough without adding extra costs to the items people buy. She questioned if people were as fed up as she is with these new taxes from Smith, who claimed she was a fiscal conservative. Although Smith branded herself as a fiscal conservative, she said she might need more ways to pay for her budget that is 20% higher than former Alberta premier Rachel Notley’s one. If this strikes a chord with people, she said they should make some noise. She called for them to tell Smith and her team they have “had enough of being nickeled and dimed.” If people can tighten their belts, she said so can the Alberta government. Instead of taxing more, she proposed it could spend less. Smith had a saying about Alberta not having a revenue problem, but a spending one. Wellwood said she wishes this version of her was still around. “We need to stand up and say no to these never-ending tax hikes,” she said. The Alberta government said on August 13 it is set to create Canada’s most extensive recycling program, expanding its current efforts to include more than 500 additional electronic items and pioneering the country’s first ever programs for solar panels, electric vehicle batteries, and wind turbine components.READ MORE: Alberta to launch 'Canada’s most comprehensive' recycling programAs Alberta’s electronic waste continues to grow, the government said it plans to expand its recycling program effective April 1. The program will allow Albertans to recycle items such as cellphones, power tools, and microwaves at any of the 365 registered recycling depots across 148 municipalities. The expansion builds on the success of the Electronics Recycling Pilot Program, which has diverted 14,500 tonnes of material from landfills since 2020.
