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Environment Industry Day a hit with members, Premier and Ministers

Environment Industry Day 2009 was well received by more than 150 guests who joined ONEIA at Queen’s Park on April 29. The day of programming included meetings with MPPs and ministers, a luncheon address by Deputy Minister of the Environment, Gail Beggs, afternoon roundtable sessions with senior ministry officials and an evening reception jointly hosted by ONEIA and the Minister of the Environment.  

This year, the reception featured a special guest.  In addition to the Minister of the Environment and several other ministers, the Premier of Ontario also joined the festivities, mixing with ONEIA members and asking them about their work I what he called “the sweet spot” of the Ontario economy.

Thanks to our sponsors who made the event possible – and to the organizing committee, under the Chairpersonship of Skip Willis, who put together such a well-received event.

ONEIA and Deloitte release report on growth possibilities of environment industry

At Environment Industry Day on April 29, ONEIA and Deloitte Consulting released a landmark report that examined the barriers to growth facing Ontario environment firms.

Click here to read the press release

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Study to lay groundwork for future of Ontario's environment Industry

The Ontario Environment Industry Association (ONEIA) today announced the launch of a joint study with the provincial government to encourage the growth of Ontario's environment companies. The initiative was announced at a breakfast meeting of senior environment industry executives featuring a keynote address from the Honourable John Gerretsen,Ontario Minister of the Environment.

The study, conducted for ONEIA by Deloitte Consulting, will examine such issues as regulation, financing and access to capital, education and skills, research and development, sales and marketing, and import/export opportunities. Hundreds of environment-related businesses across the province are expected to participate, including those in the fields of alternative energy, waste management/recycling, water treatment, air quality and brownfields remediation and redevelopment. The final report will be released at Environment Industry Day at Queen's Park on April 29, 2009.

"We know the economies of the future will be lean and green and we want to position Ontario at the forefront of this shift," said Alex Gill, Executive Director of ONEIA. "We have a great opportunity here to bring environmental firms together, identify their issues and work with the province to foster increased innovation and growth."

Ontario's environment industry is made up of more than 2,700 firms across the province that already employ more than 60,000 people. The world market for goods, services and technology they produce is expected to grow strongly incoming years, making it imperative that Ontario's industry be ideally-positioned to capitalize on this growing world demand. The ONEIA-Deloitte study is a partnership with the Ontario Ministries of Environment, Economic Development, and Research and Innovation and the Ontario Centres of Excellence.

"The McGuinty government is committed to making Ontario a world leader in green industry," said Minister Gerretsen. "We are pleased to partner with ONEIA on this important initiative which will help ensure the province is well positioned to meet its environmental and economic objectives."

ONEIA is the business association for Ontario's environment industry. The Association's members include environmental product, service and technology companies, research institutes, universities and governments. Through their innovation and experience in Ontario and around the world, ONEIA's members provide market-driven solutions for society's pressing environmental problems.

ONEIA Golf Day a hit with members

ONEIA's annual golf day went off without a hitch on July 28, 2009. On one of the rare sunny days of the summer, approximately 60 golfers gathered at the Banty's Roost course in Caledon for an afternoon of golf that benefited ONEIA and our charity of choice, Earth Rangers.  Best score for the day was 11 under par, an honour shared by a foursome from Strata Soil Sampling Inc. (Jan Dean, Mike Brown, Esau Uddin and mark Cathcart ) and another mixed foursome (Darren Coleman, Sean Hewitt, Ron Haley and Harry Kim).  The tie was resolved by a nail-biting, "closest to the pin" driving contest that saw the Strata foursome emerge triumphant. The day was followed with a steak dinner and awarding of prizes by Rick Dresher, treasurer of ONEIA.