About the Minister

The Honourable
John Gerretsen,
MPP Kingston
and The Islands

Minister of the
Environment, Ontario

John Gerretsen, Minister of the Environment for Ontario, was first elected in 1995 to represent Kingston and The Islands. He was re-elected in 1999, 2003 and 2007.

Minister Gerretsen’s top priority since his appointment as Minister of the Environment has been to guide the implementation of the government’s climate change action plan.

In his current role, Minister Gerretsen introduced legislation to ban the use and sale of cosmetic pesticides province wide. The Act was subsequently passed in June 2008 and came into effect on Earth Day (April 22) 2009. In addition, Mr. Gerretsen introduced landmark legislation to protect Lake Simcoe. The Lake Simcoe Protection Act, which passed unanimously in the legislature, and the protection plan are setting a new standard for watershed protection in Ontario. Minister Gerretsen also announced Ontario’s Toxics Reduction Strategy and introduced the Toxics Reduction Act, which was passed in June 2009, to improve quality of life and to help develop a greener economy.

In 2009, he served as President of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment. During Minister Gerretsen’s term as President, the Council developed a Canada-wide Action Plan for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), a sustainable packaging strategy and a Canada-wide strategic vision for water that featured a water efficiency labeling program.

As Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, he brought forward the award-winning Greenbelt Plan. Mr. Gerretsen was also responsible for new, stronger planning legislation and bringing the Ontario Building Code to the most energy efficient standards in Canada.

 

To write to the Minister of the Environment:

The Honourable John Gerretsen
Minister of the Environment
77 Wellesley Street West
11th Floor, Ferguson Block
Toronto ON
M7A 2T5

Email the Minister.

Telephone: (416) 314-6790
Fax: (416) 314-7337