Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  We do, indeed. I just want to add one thing in terms of the worst recyclers. Children are fine. Once children become 18, they stop recycling. When they become 35, they start again. We have a problem with that particular cadre. We need to work on it.

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  We're organized under the Canada Corporations Act, part II, which provides a ruling from Canada Revenue Agency that we are not taxed on our surpluses. It's a tax ruling. There are in fact traditional not-for-profits, and they are organized quite differently. We simply can operate

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  Exactly.

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  About a third of all the money we get in is from selling the recycled goods, aluminum being the most valuable. A third of it, and now it's probably closer to 50%, comes from a fee we charge to consumers. These are the things that generated a lot of interest in Ontario. The last b

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  It's the non-redemption. It's kind of perverse, because we want all the redemption we can get. We don't have any difficulty financing ourselves.

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  The science on recycling and the impacts for greenhouse gases is fairly clear. Yes, you're right, if I go and pick something up with a truck, the truck is burning diesel. It puts something into the atmosphere. But the net benefit still exists because you're avoiding the landfill.

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  I don't have them at my fingertips, but that kind of data has been looked at.

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  Sure, I'd be happy on a follow-up basis to provide some sources of that data.

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  You're absolutely right that the beverage container side is pretty well looked after. I think actually SARCAN and Saskatchewan have in fact a leadership role. They get the highest rate of recycling of beverage containers. Beverage containers are a very small part of the consumer

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  That's a great connection to the engagement piece, and that's serving a social need as well within the communities. That very much is part of the sustainability formula: the economy and the environment and communities. There are other examples like that. We have some examples of

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  Yes, that's right.

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  I think I just wrapped up.

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  No, I'm from British Columbia.

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  We operate exclusively in British Columbia. I think you're describing the Ontario circumstance. I don't have a lot to offer in terms of the prescription for Ontario. The electronics program in British Columbia does have some of the same features, however. If you go into a big-box

Special Committee on Cooperatives committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am an orphan here before you. We are not a cooperative. I'm here to set out the potential use of the cooperative structure—listening to my colleagues from the coast and the kind of energy that cooperatives can generate—and I'm here to brief the committ