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| The Hon. Tony Clement |
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| The Hon. Tony Clement |
Ontario's environment minister Tony Clement eloquently outlined plans for his new portfolio at a recent Canadian Environment Industry Association meeting in Toronto. While new to the position, the minister demonstrated a clear understanding of complex issues, while presenting future initiatives with conviction.
"As we move into the next century, we are witnessing the convergence of three environmental trends: the coming together of public awareness, technological advances and the far-reaching decisions that must be made by governments," he said, adding that "this convergence offers unprecedented opportunities for resource conservation and environmental protection."
He stressed the importance of partnerships. "We are working with several industry organizations to help their members achieve compliance with the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System. In our current business plan, we have set a goal of 1,000 Ontario companies to have an EMS in place by the year 2003."
The minister then went on to comment on regulations. " As a result of an extensive investigation, we have recently uncovered weaknesses in our hazardous waste regulations. In response, I announced a six-point action plan to strengthen Ontario's hazardous waste regulations and requirements for hazardous waste facilities in the province. By responding quickly, we will be able to address a number of inconsistencies and ensure that our amendments will be enforced at all hazardous waste facilities.
" In addition, through Bill 82, An Act to Strengthen Environmental Protection and Enforcement, we have closed loopholes that have, for years, enabled polluters to violate the law and avoid penalties imposed on them. Our new law will help reduce that trend. The law clearly identifies a company's environmental obligations and requirements. And you can be certain that it will be consistently applied. It is fair to those who comply with our laws, but very tough on those who break them."
The minister then described the MOE's Provincial Water Protection Fund which has provided $200 million to help municipalities assume responsibility for water and sewer facilities; improved environmental monitoring through a two million dollar investment in new state-of-the-art equipment; and a $10 million commitment for the analysis of climate change and how it affects Ontario's environment and its economy.
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By Steve Davey, President, ES&E Magazine