TORONTO - Ontario's ombudsman will look into the province's controversial eco fee to see if an investigation is needed after receiving several complaints.
The New Democrats asked him to investigate the fees and potential abuses of the program, which has caught many consumers by surprise.
In a letter to the NDP, ombudsman Andre Marin says his office received a number of individual complaints about the fees.
A special response team has been tasked with conducting a "thorough assessment" of the issues that have been raised to see if a "systemic" investigation is warranted.
The fees -- which range from a few cents to $6.66 -- fund a recycling program that diverts potentially hazardous items, such as fire extinguishers, household cleaners and paint from Ontario's landfills.
But there was no public warning that the eco fee, which was first introduced in 2008, would be slapped on thousands of new items on July 1.
Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak called the eco fee a "tax grab" that has caused "chaos at the cash register" as items are taxed inconsistently at different stores.
"It's yet another tax on the backs on Ontario families who are paying enough as it is," he said. "Enough is enough already. People deserve a break."
NDP critic Paul Miller said families are already "hammered" by taxes, and don't need an eco-tax when municipal recycling programs are already in place.
Miller wants the tax scrapped.
"This is really hard on people with fixed incomes, and it's hard on single moms who have to work at three jobs to maintain a living," he said.
"And now they're going to be taxed even more."
