A week after my blog on the “eco fee” in Ontario (see “Ontario’s ‘Eco Fee’ Woes,” July 13, 2010), the Ontario government announced yesterday  that the “eco fees” are coming to a halt.

The day before the Environment Minister’s announcement, retail giant Canadian Tire declared that it would stop charging the eco fees on some 8,700 items, saying the structure was too confusing.

The Minister said that the province is halting the program, and will take three months to re-evaluate it. It’s unclear whether consumers will end up paying the eco fees under another name down the road.

The Minister suggested that the government expected producers to bear the responsibility of diverting hazardous materials. For the moment, Ontario taxpayers will foot the $5-million bill to keep the program running.