Ontario Public Armed to Compel Environmental Responsibility

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Ministries of the Ontario government are slammed for an "alarming lack" of environmental vision, monitoring and reporting. Environmental programs have been slashed with little thought about the consequences, and legislation enacted with little or no public consultation. Government and industry efforts to improve environmental protection appear to be threatened. But an Environmental Bill of Rights and an electronic registry have provided Ontarians with powerful tools to compel better environmental responsibility by government. And the new tools are being widely used. Speech to the Environmental Trade Show and Conference, Toronto, May 6.

I am delighted to have this opportunity to talk to you about Ontario's Environmental Bill of Rights, how its principles are relevant to your work, and how you can use it to support your business goals while improving Ontario's natural environment.

In Ontario, the protection, conservation, and restoration of Ontario's natural environment is serious business. So serious, in fact, that Ontarians of all ages, from all walks of life, and from all parts of this province are making it their business to learn more about it and what they can do to protect it.

In a recent national poll by Environics, 53% of Canadians said environmental pollution was their first or second concern on questions that pose the greatest threat to future generations. Depletion of natural resources was the third major concern of 33% of the respondents.

Fifty-two percent of Canadians said they want government to slowly and continuously pass stricter environmental laws. Another 30% want government to move quickly to make environmental laws even stricter. Only 3% want government to remove the requirements of the laws that already exist.

These results are consistent with what I've heard from people …