Minister says environment critic acting irresponsibly

Environment Minister Bob Mercer said today the Opposition environment critic is acting irresponsibly when he claims there is a lack of accountability by the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board (MMSB).

"The fact that the MMSB has been carrying out an internal review to determine the cause of discrepancies in inventory is indicative that the correct checks and balances are in place and are being followed by the board and its staff," said Minister Mercer. "This certainly gives me a level of confidence that the public funds are being administered by the board both responsibly and accountably."

Minister Mercer stated that he was given a full briefing on the inventory discrepancies during a meeting with the executive committee members of the board and senior board staff on June 4, 2003. The minister said he was informed the discrepancies were identified in April following an audit by the MMSB and the board was conducting a review to determine the cause of the discrepancies.

"I encouraged the board to move forward diligently to determine the exact cause of the inventory discrepancies and to seek a resolution to the issue," said Minister Mercer. "This is a very complex issue considering the computerized technology that is involved in operating the deposit-refund system and, as such, a significant amount of time is required to ensure that all information is collected and analyzed in determining any discrepancies."

Minister Mercer further stated that the MMSB has been working with the new owner of Nova Recycling, the contractor for the beverage container processing system, to determine the cause of the apparent discrepancies and to resolve the issue.

"This is an operational issue for the MMSB and it is being dealt with by the MMSB," said Minister Mercer. "To date, I believe the board has proceeded diligently in the appropriate manner."

Minister Mercer also said awarding public tenders is always governed by the rules and regulations as prescribed by the Public Tender Act.

"The suggestion that I interfere with the public tender process and for a minister of the Crown to become personally involved in an internal matter of an agency of government causes me to question the approach to governance that would be undertaken by the Opposition," said Minister Mercer. "In my opinion, this is certainly a clear message as to the policy direction of the Opposition."

Media contact: Carmel Turpin, Communications, (709) 729-2575.

2003 08 25                                        4:35 p.m.