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Great Lakes Protection Act introduced by Province

09 Jul 2012 3:21 PM | Anonymous

Great Lakes Protection Act introduced by Province

New “family friendly” legislation shows how perceptions of the environment have changed

By Alex Gill, Executive Director, ONEIA

At his annual speech to ONEIA companies on March 22nd, Ontario Environment Minister Jim Bradley noted that one of his main priorities in the coming year would be the passage of a “Great Lakes Protection Act.”  As this would be the first piece of significant legislation introduced by the new Minister, observers anxiously waited to see what it would indicate about his approach to the environment.

The Ontario government has now introduced Bill 100 (“An Act to protect and restore the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin”) on June 6th.   The Bill – and the broader “Great Lakes Strategy” in which it is imbedded – tell us a great deal about recent changes in the politics of the environment.

Minister Bradley’s two predecessors introduced a huge volume of new environmental policy, regulations and legislation in just a few years.  Underlying these efforts was an urgency driven by legislation such as the Toxics Reduction Act, Green Energy Act and Water Opportunities Act, commitments to concepts such as the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) and other initiatives that positioned the Ontario as an environmental policy leader.  In the last two years, however, we have seen a marked change in how environmental measures are perceived by the public – and government has reacted accordingly.  Criticisms of the Green Energy Act (particularly around Feed-In Tariff rates and local siting issues for wind turbines) and the fall of the environment as a top social issue in the opinion polls have all preceded the approach that is exemplified in the new Great Lakes Protection Act.

Bill 100 presents a vision of the environment that, in many ways, harkens back to the 1970s and 80s.  It’s a “family friendly” vision of the environment, talking about a place where Ontarians can fish, boat and swim to enjoy nature.  Even the section of the accompanying strategy that deals with economic opportunities mentions the economic value of tourism and fishing.  The communication messages that the government has been using to talk about the strategy reinforce this focus on the “natural environment”, discussing habitat and species protection, improving wetlands and encouraging awareness and community participation. 

Of interest to environment and cleantech companies, is that one of the stated goals of the strategy is to “…ensur(e) environmentally sustainable economic opportunities and innovation.”   This reflects, in part, the dialogue that ONEIA and our member companies have been holding with MOE about the economic value of smart environmental policy and the need to encourage innovation.  This goal should also allow MOE to fold in worthy initiatives, such as the Showcasing Water Innovation (SWI) Program, into this new vision of the environment.  SWI is expected to announce cost-shared funding of approximately 30 new projects that exemplify the next generation of water technology, conservation and design.  By announcing some of these projects in the context of the Great Lakes Strategy and linking them to a healthier natural environment, the Province may be able to deflect any criticism that it is spending on the environment in tough economic times.

ONEIA’s Water Subcommittee, under the leadership of Alex Keen (CEO of Altech) will be evaluating the proposed Bill and offering input on behalf of our members.  If you have any thoughts you would like to share with Alex and the Committee, please e-mail info@oneia.ca or respond to our blog. 

Alex Gill is the Executive Director of ONEIA.  Connect with Alex and the ONEIA environmental network through LinkedIn at http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/alex-gill/4/4a1/950.

Ontario Environment Industry Association (ONEIA)
192 Spadina Avenue, Suite 306, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5T 2C2
Tel: 416-531-7884    Email: info[at]oneia.ca

 

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