Summary (the full submission…

Summary (the full submission can be found in the file attachment)

• As a leading printer of advertising materials and a flexible packaging company, TC Transcontinental supports the goal of controlling the escalating costs of Ontario’s collection, sorting, and recycling system—while preserving the Blue Box program’s role in advancing resource recovery. We advocate for public policy grounded in reliable data, science-based and achievable targets, and informed by best practices from other jurisdictions.

• Ontario represents TC Transcontinental’s largest provincial footprint in Canada, with 8 facilities employing 2,000 people.

• As an illustration of the impact of the exploding costs of Ontario’s system, the cost burden on printed flyers has increased dramatically—newsprint fees have risen by 463% since 2023, growing from 9% to 30% of total production costs, causing damage to the flyer business model. This is despite Canada’s well-established circular economy for paper.

• Flyers remain a vital tool for Ontario consumers and retailers. Consumers estimate annual savings of $1,500 through flyer rebates, while retailers rely on them to drive store traffic and promote local commerce.

• We urge the Ontario government to adopt more realistic targets and transition to a single Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) model, as implemented in other provinces. The current multi-PRO system is inefficient and a major driver of rising costs.