Minister's Speech

Remarks prepared for:

by

The Honourable Laurel Broten
Minister of the Environment

Banning Used Oil Announcement
Breslau, Ontario

January 11, 2007, 11:00 A.M.

(Check against delivery)

Thank you, John. (emcee John Milloy, MPP for Kitchener Centre)

It’s a great day to be here in Breslau.

I want to thank Safety-Kleen’s President and CEO Frederick Florjancic for coming all the way from Texas for today’s event.

We’ve come here to Safety-Kleen’s Ontario refinery with good news for Ontarians and for our environment.

I want to congratulate you for the environmental leadership your company is showing by collecting, re-refining and recycling used oil.

I especially want to recognize everyone who works for Safety-Kleen — here at this facility and out on the road.

All of you should be very proud of the fact that what you do every day is helping protect and improve our environment.

You are all helping grow Ontario’s environment industry and making our great province cleaner, greener and healthier.

I’m very proud to be part of a government that takes its stewardship seriously and is committed to taking real action to protect and improve our water, our air, and our land.

That’s why we’re moving to ban the burning of used oil in space heaters.

Currently, about eight million vehicles are licensed in Ontario and they all need regular oil changes to keep them running smoothly.

That translates into around 215 million litres of used oil every year. So, what do we do with it?

Well, some is collected by Safety-Kleen, is re-refined here at this facility and gets re-used — much of it by major customers like General Motors, Daimler Chrysler and the Toronto Transit Commission.

But unfortunately, around 10 million litres of used oil is finding its way into industrial space heaters and being burned as fuel.

Used oil isn’t meant to be burned at low temperatures in space heaters, so that means heavy metals like lead, chromium, zinc and arsenic, along with particulate matter and sulphur are going into the air.

They can also find their way into our water and our soil.

It’s simply not acceptable to our health or our environment.
These emissions affect the air quality for people in the workplace … in nearby neighbourhoods … and the particulates can contribute to smog across our province.

Banning the burning of used oil will also help reduce Ontario’s greenhouse gas emissions by almost 500,000 tonnes annually — that’s the equivalent of taking nearly 100,000 vehicles off the road.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is critical as we face our next great environmental challenge.

Global climate change has been called the defining issue of our generation.

How we deal with it will determine the kind of world our children will inherit from us.

We need to take concrete action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are contributing to global warming.
We also know that taking on global warming will require a massive adjustment in the way we live and how we do business.

But really, has it ever been any other way? When has the status quo ever been acceptable? We need forward-thinking, progressive businesses to innovate and lead the way — businesses that recognize moving forward with a new idea means growth and success.

That’s the way of the future — and it is companies like Safety-Kleen that will be the business leaders that help us create a strong, sustainable, green economy.

This fits with our government vision for the future.

We are working to build an Ontario where our economy is powered by clean, green energy … where the new economy depends on efficiency and sustainability … and where places that embrace innovation and ingenuity are leading and succeeding.
Cela correspond à la vision de l’avenir de notre gouvernement.

Nous voulons édifier une province où l’économie est alimentée par de l’énergie propre et verte … où la nouvelle économie se fonde sur des principes d’efficacité et de durabilité … et où les entreprises ayant fait preuve d’innovation se situent en tête et connaissent le succès.

Clearly, there is a growing demand for products and services that sustain and protect our environment — here at home and around the world.

The people and businesses that make up Ontario’s green industry are helping to answer that demand.

Ontario’s environmental industry is contributing to our province’s growth and future prosperity by generating close to $7 billion dollars a year in revenue … and by employing 62,000 highly-skilled and well-educated Ontarians.

That’s great news for Ontario’s economy.

But let’s talk about where it really counts.

It’s the products and services of companies like Safety-Kleen that are helping us clean the air we breathe, help protect the water we drink, help sustain and preserve the valuable resources we rely on and the land we live on.

Our government believes that green policies will help us prosper well into the future.

We’re working to build an economic climate where being an environmental leader offers the opportunity to reap competitive advantages.

It also offers the chance to make a real difference by building a successful and sustainable future for our province and our people.

We’re building the Ontario of the future by strengthening our economy. In fact, more than 268,000 new jobs have been created since our government took office.

We believe that many of the environmental challenges we are facing now will have their solutions in new technology tomorrow.

That’s why we’re also investing in the research and innovation that will help create tomorrow’s jobs by committing more than a billion dollars to the Ontario Research Fund.
Clearly, we’re moving in the right direction.

We all want clean air, a clean, green environment and healthier communities.

So, banning the burning of used oil is really a great news story all around.

It improves the air we all breathe … reduces harmful greenhouse gas emissions and preserves and recycles a valuable resource.

Most important of all … it helps us build a brighter tomorrow for our children.

And that’s the kind of future we all want to see.

Thank you.

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