From Where I Sit

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July 23, 2010

by: John Divinski

It could just be coincidence, the alignment of the stars or just pure folly but it seems that when governments take those extended summer breaks, logic goes out the window and bureaucrats run amuck.

How else could we possibly explain the issues that are leaving egg on the collective faces of our governments, provincial and federal.

Provincially everybody's talking about the eco fees that were snuck into our bills for certain products while we weren't looking. 

The problem is the consumer had just been hit by the HST and was in no mood for another "hidden" tax, fee, levy call it what you want.

Retailers didn't know what to do with the eco fee because bureaucrats with Stewardship Ontario obviously weren't used to questions once they put a program in action.

Well surprise, we do have questions and complaints.

Hats off to Canadian Tire for corporately saying they were not going to charge the fee until those who created it got their act together.

Now the provincial government is tap dancing in the summer heat trying to fix something which is hopelessly broken.

They're going to review the situation and consult with business leaders and the general public.

Why wouldn't they have done that in the first place?

Another nail in the coffin for the Ontario Liberals.

But gaffs seem to be an equal opportunity sort of thing.

In Ottawa, the Conservative government is starting to tap dance as well over their gaff of apparently arbitrarily scrubbing the long census form because too many Canadians were complaining.

Problem is we can't find any of those complaining Canadians.

You can tell the feds are tap dancing because they're looking for scapegoats like Statistics Canada or anyone to take the heat off them.

That's why the head of Stats Can quit.

Why would they change something that ain't broke.

This has been the darndest summer for political gaffs and summer isn't even half over yet.

Scary isn't it.

I'm John Divinski

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