Brenda Elliott, Ontario Minister of Environment and Energy, told the EECO* Conference that her primary objective as minister was to protect the environment and ensure the wise use of our energy resources. The challenge was to do this in a way which recognizes economic realities and ensures that tax dollars were spent wisely.

"We must build a positive business climate and restore prosperity and confidence in our common future. Ontario must be brought out from under its crushing debt load that now stands just under 100 billion dollars. In 1995 alone, Ontario will have to pay close to 9 billion dollars in interest costs; unreasonable today, unsustainable tomorrow," she said.

A lively Brenda Elliott enjoys a joke with Tom Davey at an environmental meeting. - photo Tessa Photography

"We will pursue our environmental goals, and we will do so without compromise. Without a healthy environment there cannot be a healthy economy. And when we look to parts of the world where the economy is weak, we can see that environmental degradation is sure to follow. We must work smarter and more efficiently. Within the system there is room for cost-cutting and streamlining." She said the ministry has been preoccupied with waste management issues. That's why, as one of its first steps, the government eliminated the Interim Waste Authority.

"We gave back to the Greater Toronto Area municipalities the right to make their own decisions on their waste, a right the other municipalities had all along. We believe they can do it better than the province can. Those closer to the problem are better able to find creative, less costly, co-operative solutions. By putting an end to the former government's ban on incineration we are allowing all communities throughout the province to take advantage of all the waste management options.

"We believe decisions should be based on sound environmental and economic considerations, not on ideology. And the technology must be the most advanced available, subject to strong standards, regular monitoring and rigid enforcement. You may be interested to know that in the recent public consultation on lifting the incineration ban, no technically-supported reasons for continuing the ban were submitted," she said.

The Minister then outlined an innovative proposal made by CIPSI - the Canadian Industry Packaging Stewardship Initiative.

"Under this initiative, brand owners and importers of packaged consumer goods would pay levies into an industry fund based on the amount of packaging they use. This fund would contribute to the cost of recycling consumer packaging collected in municipal Blue Box programs. This proposal is an excellent example of the kind of public/private sector partnership that we, as a government, are promoting. It may be a way to help the municipalities meet their financial targets," she emphasized.

"I firmly believe that stewardship is the way of the future not just in waste reduction, but in a multitude of other environmental and energy related areas. Individuals, communities and corporations taking more responsibility for the environment is an international trend. Governments are looking more and more to this style of problem-solving, encouraging industry conservation measures, encouraging pollution prevention, establishing partnerships to get the job done and encouraging voluntary action. In the past, partnerships have often meant the government's side of the deal was to bring money to the table. It doesn't have to be this way...it shouldn't be this way. The government's role is to bring advice, expertise and experience to the partnership," she said.