Environment committee  We've talked a lot about using plastics in kilns. In Canada, we actually would pay someone to take it right now, at a reduced tipping fee, to use it as a source of energy. In Europe, where the market's much more developed, they pay us. The long-term answer to your question is, ye

Environment committee  The reason for the high demand on the product is that farmers, through the field tests that we have done, whether just with the farmers or through OMAFRA, have demonstrated how effective our compost is at rehabilitating the soil, giving it structure, helping it retain moisture, w

Environment committee  We're a private company. I would like to stress that we make our money at both ends of the process. Municipalities or companies in the ICI sector pay us a tipping fee to take their material. We then process it into compost and sell it at the back end as well. I don't want to enco

Environment committee  Most of our energy use is electricity as well, but I'd like to stress that we do not use electricity to heat the material. That's actually done naturally by the composting process itself. Where we're using electricity is predominantly in the operation of our fans to make sure tha

Environment committee  Do you know what? An excellent question. Invite me back on December 20 when I come back. I'm going over there for a tour. I'll be honest, I'm very new in this job. I just started in August of this year as their general manager, and I've yet to learn everything, but that's one of

Environment committee  I will accept that's a justifiable criticism.

Environment committee  Yes.

Environment committee  In terms of a national program, you are right, sir. When I was asked to come here, my first reaction was, why am I coming to address a federal committee? Municipal waste is the responsibility of the municipality. Waste from the ICI sector is the responsibility of the provinces. T

Environment committee  I'm spending too much time talking, so I'll give Larry an opportunity.

Environment committee  I want to disagree with Larry, I'm sorry. Maybe not 100% is possible, but I do believe that 99.9% is possible. I think there are really two things keeping us from getting there. The first thing is alternatives that are cheaper. When I say “alternatives”, I'm talking about landf

Environment committee  I'm not asking for a subsidy, sir. I'm asking for a level playing field. I'm asking municipalities and governments to stop subsidizing people—

Environment committee  The answer to that would depend on where the municipality was located and what the situation was. Where I came from, we had a landfill that the city itself had been running for numerous years, and quite frankly, doing a crappy job at it. As a result, we had some environmental cha

Environment committee  Due to my other lives—one as a municipal politician and another as a lobbyist for infrastructure—I am a big proponent of the federal infrastructure programs. Please find a way to work together with the provinces and municipalities and get that funding out for us.

Environment committee  Actually, I think I alluded to it—or I tried not to allude to it; I tried to be very specific about it. That is to institute a national coordinated program where you force people to ban waste going to landfills and to increase diversion. I gave you a couple of examples of how it'

Environment committee  Let me deal with the second one first that talks about help. Your colleague was asking about financing, about sources of funding and what the government can do. There's actually an opportunity. Because we're a large integrated company with very deep pockets, we do what they call