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‘It's certainly waste disposal … but it isn't recycling': Critics say proposed changes to regulations could hurt Hamilton's air quality
‘It's certainly waste disposal … but it isn't recycling': Critics say proposed changes to regulations could hurt Hamilton's air quality

Hamilton Spectator

time01-07-2025

  • Business
  • Hamilton Spectator

‘It's certainly waste disposal … but it isn't recycling': Critics say proposed changes to regulations could hurt Hamilton's air quality

The Ontario government is proposing numerous amendments to blue box regulations in the province — including one environmental advocates say could worsen Hamilton's already poor air quality. The proposal, quietly posted on the Environmental Registry of Ontario earlier this month, would allow companies to count recyclable materials that were incinerated or used as fuel toward their recycling targets, up to 15 per cent of the target quotas. In addition, the proposal would give waste producers until 2031 to hit recovery targets for recyclable materials such as paper, rigid plastic, glass, metal and beverage containers. New regulations had been set to come into effect in 2026. Ian Borsuk, Environment Hamilton's executive director, said air quality in the city is 'not great' and allowing producers to incinerate waste 'isn't going to help.' 'It might very well counter or undo a lot of the work that's being done elsewhere,' Borsuk said. He said passive air quality monitoring done in partnership with Environment Hamilton showed a concerning uptick in air quality issues — but said there have been efforts to improve, including investments in active transportation and public transit. As well, Borsuk noted ArcelorMittal Dofasco — the largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions in the province — is working on a decarbonization plan. The taxpayer-subsidized 'green steel' overhaul has faced unexplained delays and concerns the project — or its promise to end the use of dirty coal — is in jeopardy. But Borsuk said no matter how that project turns out, he expects it will improve air quality for Hamiltonians. Borsuk said there have been multiple energy-from-waste proposals in Hamilton over the past decade, including a since-scuttled gasification plant in the harbour and a scrapped proposal by Carmeuse Lime in Greensville to burn alternative low-carbon fuels in its lime kilns. While he said people think of incineration as a 'magic box' that you can put waste into — and though it does generate energy — the reality is there are still emissions and the leftover ash is often toxic. Borsuk said the proposal is not what Environment Hamilton had in mind when it comes to producer responsibility. 'Ultimately what we would like to see is a system set up so that these materials that can't be recycled just not being used anymore and we find alternatives,' he said. Borsuk said while he is sympathetic to the fact that the process is a fundamental change to the blue box program, at the end of the day, 'incineration is not recycling.' 'It's certainly waste disposal … but it isn't recycling.' Greensville residents are concerned the proposal could reignite plans for Carmeuse Lime to burn alternative low-carbon fuels — what residents called garbage — in their lime kilns. Meanwhile, Greensville residents are concerned the proposal could reignite plans for Carmeuse Lime to burn alternative low-carbon fuels — what residents called garbage — in their lime kilns. The community formed the Dundas and Greensville Environmental Concern group and successfully fought the company's since-scrapped proposal in 2023 to switch the fuel in their lime kilns . But group member Amanda Andrews said the proposed blue box changes 'opens the door' for every lime kiln in Ontario to start burning these 'so-called nonrecyclable materials.' 'Everybody needs to be making as much noise as possible right now because this is a very bad idea,' she said, adding the group is urging its membership to pressure local elected officials at all levels to oppose the proposal. Andrews added the proposal appears to have no prescribed regulations about what materials can contain, any contamination or combination of materials — or any technology to reduce potentially dangerous toxins emitted. 'Most of these kilns are from the 19th century — they're not incinerators, they weren't built for this,' she said. Carmeuse Lime had no comment when reached by The Spectator. The proposed changes impact legislation finalized in 2021 to transition to 'extended producer responsibility' — something which hands responsibility for recycling from municipalities to the companies that produce the packaging in blue boxes. In the proposal, the government suggested the extension to 2031 would allow producers 'more time to plan' and make investments into improved processing and recycling technology. The plans would also scrap requirements for companies to collect recyclables from multi-residential buildings, schools, long-term-care homes and retirement homes, citing cost concerns and to allow producers to 'focus on current blue box services.' Emily Alfred, a waste campaigner with Toronto Environmental Alliance, said while advocates expected the proposed changes to recycling regulations to water down the system, they were surprised at 'how bad they were.' She said the extended producer responsibility system should, in theory, make producers work to find a way to recycle the products, or move to more easily recycled materials. But that doesn't work without 'strict regulations,' Alfred said, adding the Ford government has 'chipped away' at what called the good parts of the legislation. 'Incinerating plastics is always a bad idea,' she said, adding that plastics are made of fossil fuels. 'Burning plastic is more toxic, is just as greenhouse gas intensive as burning fossil fuels, and it also doesn't stop the flow of more plastic.' Alfred said the proposal is 'scary' as kilns are not designed for burning plastics — and even incinerators that are designed for burning waste release toxic pollutants like dioxins. In a statement to The Spectator, Alexandru Cioban, a spokesperson for Todd McCarthy, Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks, said the government is proposing changes to the blue box program to 'improve transparency' for producers and 'help manage unanticipated cost increases' while maintaining current services across the province. Cioban said the province has heard concerns from small businesses about 'unanticipated and unexplained cost increases' to meet their obligations under the new system. He added the proposal to allow producers to meet up to 15 per cent of recycling targets by 'recovering energy from waste' would give them 'more options' to manage waste and 'help reduce the amount sent to landfills by turning some of it into useful energy.' However, Karen Wirsig from Environmental Defence said the province is crossing 'a huge boundary' by allowing incineration to meet recycling targets. 'It basically means that they're really giving up on anything approaching a true circular economy,' she said. Wirsig said flexible plastics and mixed materials — such as tetra paks and layered metal and plastic — are a real problem material in recycling, and what she expects are the top priority for burning. She said if producers can incinerate their materials and call it recycling, 'that opens the door to a lot of very bad practices.' In addition, she said it likely limits investment in recycling facilities or reuse systems if the materials can just be burned in existing facilities — like a cement kiln — who might pay for waste. Wirsig added burning garbage is 'very dirty,' which leads to a 'potpourri of very nasty pollutants' coming out of the stack. 'It's really an abomination,' she said of the proposal. 'I think this will absolutely undermine investment in recycling in the province.' Consultations on the proposed rule changes will be open until July 4. Error! 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Poland Keen To Deepen Defence Ties With Malaysia
Poland Keen To Deepen Defence Ties With Malaysia

Barnama

time10-06-2025

  • Business
  • Barnama

Poland Keen To Deepen Defence Ties With Malaysia

WORLD President of Poland Andrzej Duda speaks at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in conjunction with his official visit to Malaysia at Putra Perdana Complex. --fotoBERNAMA (2025) COPYRIGHT RESERVED KUALA LUMPUR, June 10 (Bernama) -- Citing Malaysia's longstanding use of Polish-made military systems, Polish President Andrzej Duda has expressed strong interest in expanding defence cooperation between the two countries. He said the Malaysian Armed Forces have for years been operating Polish-made tanks and integrated command and communication systems, particularly those produced by defence firm WB Electronics. 'Poland is continuing to invest in modernising its defence industry,' the visiting president said at a joint press conference with Malaysia's Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Putrajaya on Tuesday, as he highlighted the potential for broader bilateral collaboration in defence. One of the country's latest products, he said, is the Borsuk infantry fighting vehicle, which he hopes will become a key export product. Duda urged Malaysia to explore more opportunities in Poland's defence sector and invited its leaders to the International Defence Industry Exhibition (MSPO) in Kielce, one of Europe's top military trade fairs. 'There, they will be able to see the full scope of Poland's defence offerings. All major arms producers participate, and our portfolio is expanding,' he said. Duda, who assumed office in August 2015, is making his inaugural three-day visit to Malaysia, which coincides with Malaysia's ASEAN Chairmanship and Poland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2025. In 2024, Poland was Malaysia's eighth-largest trading partner among European Union member states, with total bilateral trade rising by 19.5 per cent to RM5.66 billion compared to 2023. Malaysia's major exports to Poland include electrical and electronic products, rubber products, and machinery, while key imports from Poland consist of machinery, equipment and parts, electrical and electronic products, and transport equipment.

Poland keen to deepen defence ties with Malaysia
Poland keen to deepen defence ties with Malaysia

The Sun

time10-06-2025

  • Automotive
  • The Sun

Poland keen to deepen defence ties with Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: Citing Malaysia's longstanding use of Polish-made military systems, Polish President Andrzej Duda has expressed strong interest in expanding defence cooperation between the two countries. He said the Malaysian Armed Forces have for years been operating Polish-made tanks and integrated command and communication systems, particularly those produced by defence firm WB Electronics. 'Poland is continuing to invest in modernising its defence industry,' the visiting president said at a joint press conference with Malaysia's Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Putrajaya on Tuesday, as he highlighted the potential for broader bilateral collaboration in defence. One of the country's latest products, he said, is the Borsuk infantry fighting vehicle, which he hopes will become a key export product. Duda urged Malaysia to explore more opportunities in Poland's defence sector and invited its leaders to the International Defence Industry Exhibition (MSPO) in Kielce, one of Europe's top military trade fairs. 'There, they will be able to see the full scope of Poland's defence offerings. All major arms producers participate, and our portfolio is expanding,' he said. Duda, who assumed office in August 2015, is making his inaugural three-day visit to Malaysia, which coincides with Malaysia's ASEAN Chairmanship and Poland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2025. In 2024, Poland was Malaysia's eighth-largest trading partner among European Union member states, with total bilateral trade rising by 19.5 per cent to RM5.66 billion compared to 2023. Malaysia's major exports to Poland include electrical and electronic products, rubber products, and machinery, while key imports from Poland consist of machinery, equipment and parts, electrical and electronic products, and transport equipment.

How would federal parties handle the industrial carbon tax? Climate-focused voters in Hamilton want to know
How would federal parties handle the industrial carbon tax? Climate-focused voters in Hamilton want to know

CBC

time07-04-2025

  • Business
  • CBC

How would federal parties handle the industrial carbon tax? Climate-focused voters in Hamilton want to know

The Liberal government has already cancelled the consumer carbon tax, but the issue of carbon pricing for industrial pollution is still on the table in the current federal election campaign. The system, which varies slightly by province, makes large emitters pay into a fund that subsidizes projects to reduce industrial emissions. The Conservatives say that, if elected, they'd get rid of it. That would mean an end to a source of funds that helps pay for projects like the green steel plans at ArcelorMittal Dofasco, says Ian Borsuk, executive director of Environment Hamilton. He says that with no financial incentive to reduce pollution, it's likely that many businesses would abandon plans to improve their emissions, further escalating global warming. Borsuk says the issue is particularly salient in Hamilton, where residents are faced with industrial emissions that contain known chemicals that negatively impact human health. These include sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and benzo(a)pyrene, a carcinogen found in levels higher than provincial guidelines in all urban areas of Hamilton. "I find it hard to believe the average Canadian is wanting a local employer and business not to improve their environmental practices, and not reduce emissions, that in turn, helps their own health," says Borsuk. "If we want to have clean air, that is a direct benefit" of the carbon tax for industry, he says. "Without an industrial carbon tax … there's no incentive for those companies to make these changes that really benefit all of us." How does the industrial carbon tax work? An industrial carbon price has been a key part of the Liberal government's plan to tackle climate change, giving economic incentives to reduce emissions — by both carrot and stick. Large-scale emitters have thresholds for how carbon-intensive their operations can be. Those that exceed it have to pay. Those that produce less carbon pollution than allowed can profit by having surplus credits to sell. Currently, the federal government directly administers the pricing system in Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, Nunavut and Yukon. All other provinces, including Ontario, run their own programs, but they need to comply with federal standards on the price put on companies and how the money is used. An independent analysis last year found it the most effective part of the government's policies to lower emissions in Canada, and industrial voices were publicly supporting it — until recently. The Conservatives say they would remove the federal requirement, leaving it to provinces to run their own pricing systems if they choose, and expand federal tax credits aimed at clean technology and manufacturing. Hamilton area voters say more tools needed, not fewer For some voters who identify climate change and the environment as among their top concerns, cancelling the carbon tax for industry is a non-starter. "An industrial tax has the potential [to] play a much larger role than the consumer carbon tax ever could" when it comes to creating a more sustainable country, said Dundas resident Kris Gadjanski, 58. "For me, voting for a person who promises to eliminate the industrial carbon tax would be foolish and short-sighted, and is simply not an option." St. Catharines resident Andrew Stewart says he would have preferred to keep the consumer carbon tax as well. "We need more tools to combat climate change, not fewer," said Stewart, 35. "While imperfect, I think the Liberals did a very bad job communicating the purpose and value of the tax-rebate system, and the Conservatives did a very good job vilifying it." "I think we can both invest in Canadian industry and manufacturing, have good jobs and a strong economy, and also make strong intentional moves to decarbonize our systems," he added. "They are not mutually exclusive." Here's what the parties are promising. Conservatives Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has spent years making opposition to the carbon tax a central part of his brand. His vow to "axe the tax" would remove it from steel, aluminum, natural gas, food production, concrete and all other major industries, "lowering prices and bringing home powerful paycheques for Canadians," his party said in a press release earlier this week. "Provinces will continue to have the freedom to address the issue as they like," says the party's website, which has also criticized the Liberal government for not repealing the carbon tax law, suggesting the removal of the consumer tax may not be permanent. The Conservatives say they will instead create tax credits for companies that invest in clean technology. "Heavy industries who make products with lower emissions than the world average will be rewarded, bringing jobs and production home and bringing global emissions down," states the party's website. Greens Green Party press secretary Fabrice Lachance Nové says removing the industrial tax would allow "big polluters [to] get richer, and everyone else faces the consequences. Removing the carbon tax means continued or even increased levels of air and water pollution in surrounding areas, negatively impacting the health of residents. Pollution leads to extreme weather, making life more expensive for everyone." Lachance Nové says the Greens would gradually increase the carbon price after 2030 while making sure low-income and rural Canadians are not unfairly affected. "We support tariffs on imports from countries with weaker environmental laws to protect Canadian industries from unfair competition," he told CBC Hamilton in an email. The party's website also says it would "stop giving public money to oil and gas companies and invest it in clean energy instead, "create strict, science-based limits on Canada's total pollution." and "make companies prove they have real plans to deal with climate risks." Liberals The Liberal party has pledged to keep and strengthen the industrial carbon price, and is also promising programs to help households lower their emissions, using money from polluters to pay citizens who reduce their footprints. It is pledging to make it easier for industrial businesses to access and plan for funding that helps them green their operations. "The current approach provides industrial emitters with price certainty for their emissions but price uncertainty for carbon abatement," states a press release on shared with CBC Hamilton by Liberal spokesperson Carolyn Svonkin. The party is also promising a "carbon border adjustment program," adding a fee to carbon-intensive products coming into the country. It says its measures to make Canadian businesses more green will make them more competitive in international markets, allowing them to "leapfrog" the United States. New Democrats (NDP) The NDP is promising to keep the industrial carbon price and the emissions cap, as well as introducing a border carbon adjustment "so overseas polluters don't undercut Canadian workers, and clean industries like Canadian steel and cement stay competitive," according to a statement on the party's website. Hamilton Centre NDP candidate Matthew Green says the party will end tax breaks for oil and gas companies, and use the money to better support ordinary people and families in efforts to use less oil and gas. "This will free up billions to help people retrofit their homes to save them money on their heating bills, and to help them lower their carbon footprint," Green told CBC Hamilton in a statement emailed by his party. Party Leader Jagmeet Singh said the NDP's goal is "a country where no one is priced out of heat, out of safety, or out of their home," according to the party's website, which says more climate measures will be announced in the coming weeks.

Poland signs $1.7 billion deal for infantry fighting vehicles
Poland signs $1.7 billion deal for infantry fighting vehicles

Yahoo

time27-03-2025

  • Automotive
  • Yahoo

Poland signs $1.7 billion deal for infantry fighting vehicles

WARSAW, Poland — The Polish Ministry of National Defence has signed a deal worth some PLN 6.57 billion ($1.7 billion) to acquire 111 Borsuk (Badger) tracked infantry fighting vehicles from the country's state-run defense group PGZ. 'We are delivering on our promise to invest in the Polish defense industry,' Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Poland's deputy prime minister and defense minister, was quoted in a statement released by his agency. 'Security and the economy, these two things are combined within the Borsuk. Security, because we gain excellent equipment developed in Poland, and the economy, because all this money goes to Polish defense companies,' according to Kosiniak-Kamysz. Under the plan, the Borsuk will replace the Soviet-designed BWP-1 vehicle as the Polish military's tracked IFV. The March 27 contract marks the first executive deal to be signed within a 2023 framework contract for a total of 1,400 Borsuks and accompanying vehicles. Under the deal, the 111 ordered vehicles are to be supplied to the Polish land forces in the years 2025 to 2029. The Borsuk, which has amphibious technology, is fitted with the ZSSW-30 remote-controlled turret. The vehicle is manned by a crew of three, and it can carry six troops. Work on developing the Borsuk was initiated in 2014 by local company Huta Stalowa Wola, currently a PGZ subsidiary, which is part of the consortium that will produce the vehicles for the Polish Army.

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