Minister's Speech

Remarks prepared for:

The Honourable John Gerretsen
Minister of the Environment

ONEIA Breakfast, Sutton Place Hotel, Toronto
March 12, 2009, 8 A.M.

(Check against delivery)

Thank you.

I’m glad to be here today.

First off, it gives me the opportunity to recognize the vital role you and your businesses have in the success and growth of our province.

The importance of a healthy, thriving environmental industry in developing a new, low-carbon green economy in our province can’t be overstated.

That’s why my ministry along with the ministries of Economic Development, Research and Innovation and the Ontario Centre of Excellence on Environment are supporting the ONEIA study project.

It’s critical we establish a baseline and understand where your industry stands now.

Economic challenges

We are facing unprecedented economic challenges in Ontario.  But, obviously, we’re not alone in this. These challenges are being faced the world over. 

What’s particularly encouraging to me is a recent Ipsos Reid poll, maybe you saw it a week or so ago, indicating Canadians want and expect governments to continue focusing on environment.

It’s no longer the environment versus the economy.  It’s the environment and the economy.

There’s a new understanding both from the public and from policy-makers.

People are recognizing what’s good for environment is good for business as well. 

That’s an important step in the right direction.  And it is going to help move us forward to a more prosperous and sustainable economy — a new, green economy.

Ontario’s environmental initiatives

From the outset, our government has recognized by protecting and improving our environment, we help build healthy communities, ensure good jobs and sustainable, long-term prosperity.

Our stringent efforts to protect our drinking water and develop new protections for Lake Simcoe and the Great Lakes, reduce our wastes, tackle climate change, reduce toxics and clean our air — these are all elements of a comprehensive and integrated plan to build a cleaner, greener and more successful province.

In Ontario, there’s a new road map for environmental action — and it’s directly linked to economic growth.

I assure you that our Premier is just as passionate about the environment as he is about creating good jobs and a strong economic base for Ontario’s future.

Climate Change

Of course, one of our key priorities is addressing the problems associated with climate change.

By tackling climate change through a range of initiatives, we are not only reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but we are going to create the foundation for the green economy.

Ontario’s Climate Change Action Plan involves ambitious but realistic targets: to reduce emissions six per cent below 1990 levels by 2014, and 15 per cent below by 2020.

To get there we’ve been moving ahead on many fronts including taking a leading role in developing a Cap and Trade system that puts a price on carbon.

Both President Obama and the Prime Minister have indicated that Cap and Trade is coming. 

We can expect a Cap and Trade system will create a new North American market worth billions of dollars and fast-forward innovations in the environmental industry.

Ontario saw writing on the wall early on — we are already in consultations with industry.

In 2008, we joined the Western Climate Initiative which now represents approximately 73 per cent of Canada’s economy and 20 per cent of the US economy.

Ontario plans to work with Quebec and other WCI states and provinces to link our system to that planned by President Obama.

We know that Ontario’s early leadership will create green jobs, green technology, green energy and help industry’s transition to a green economy.

We are also recognizing the critical importance of adaptation.  We know climate change is already being felt here and we need to understand where we need to adapt. 

To do that will require scientific research and development along with innovation and possible new environmental services.

Recently, my colleague, the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, George Smitherman introduced the proposed Green Energy and Green Economy Act.

This important step would lead to new jobs in renewable energy, help develop a stronger, greener economy with new investment and create well-paying green jobs and more economic growth for Ontario.

We are projecting 50,000 jobs in the first three years.

Toxics Reductions and the Green Economy

Another key environmental priority is our Toxics Reductions Strategy, which includes the recent Cosmetic Pesticides Ban. 

We are working with other ministries across government to support Ontario’s industry in developing green chemistry and adopt new and innovative green technology. 

We believe this can be a tremendous opportunity for Ontario to turn the challenge of dealing with toxics into an advantage. 

By reducing toxics we can open up the potential for newer and greener products consumers are demanding — not just here in Ontario, but in the global marketplace.

Waste Reduction

Ontario companies are recognizing that by improving their environmental performance they boost their bottom line. They can save money through greater efficiency, by recovering and reusing toxic substances, by reducing the costs of waste disposal and lowering costs of complying with government regulations. At the same time, by providing greener products, they can be part of the process in transforming our economy. We are moving forward on developing a more robust waste management framework for Ontario.

We recently rolled out the first phase of a Municipal and Hazardous Special Wastes program.

We will soon introduce a program for electronic wastes and we are reviewing the Waste Diversion Act to see how we can use this tool to increase diversion by focusing more on Reduce — the first and more important of the 3Rs.

This involves looking at waste in a different way.  It means changing perspectives from “waste generation” to “next generation”.

That means recognizing the value of raw materials and the energy used to make products and to continue to value these resources after we are done with the “first generation” product.

We need to start properly valuing the inherent resources in the waste stream.

And we need to use that value to build, support and enhance innovations that will drive a new green sustainable economy.

The further we go in moving towards a zero-waste philosophy — the better we will become at developing new uses for recyclables and new products.

I’m pleased to say at a recent meeting of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment in Whitehorse, the council agreed to consult on standards for reducing packaging.

As Chair of the CCME, I look forward to championing this initiative in the coming year…and I’m eager to hear from industry about how best to make the leap forward.

Out of these changes to reduce packaging, I expect we will see inventive new packaging ideas, advanced design solutions and better materials engineering — all with the potential to grow new businesses and innovative new products.

Focusing on increased diversion and waste reduction will lead to the development of new products and new markets for what we used to view as waste.

Green Economy – What the Future Looks Like

There are many opportunities to grow a new, low-carbon economy and create a stronger, healthier, more sustainable province.

Despite the current turmoil, there’s good reason for optimism when it comes to the potential for growth in our environmental industry sector.

Building a greener, more sustainable economy is going to help create good jobs for Ontarians.

It is the centrepiece of our government’s efforts going forward.

The Premier has created a new Cabinet Committee on Ontario’s Economic Future — with a focus on opportunities in the green economy.

We can see there are emerging markets world-wide for environmental solutions, products and clean technology.

One recent statistic indicated the global market for environmental products and services is $1.4 Trillion dollars U.S. — expected to double by 2020.

Ontario is well-positioned — our environmental industry represents more than half of Canada's environment industry — eight billion dollar a year industry employing close to 60,000 people — $700 million in exports annually.

We have a vision of creating a low-carbon future.

There’s no going back to “business as usual” — and that’s a good thing.

Tomorrow’s business and industry will rely on clean technology, environmentally friendly processes, zero-waste philosophy, renewable energy and sustainable development.

Those jurisdictions that can offer these things will be the places that grow and succeed.

Consumers will be a key driver of these changes. They are demanding green, clean products, services, even homes.

We intend Ontario to be on the forefront of innovation and a leader in the new, green economy.

We’ve been making unprecedented investments in post-secondary education and apprenticeship training, to ensure Ontarians have the skills and requirements for the new jobs in green economy.

At the same time, we need to realize that progressive business leaders the world over will be moving quickly to bring new products and services into commercial use.

Markets will be growing in U.S, China and India for environmental products and solutions, but so will the competition to be first out the gate with the latest and greatest eco-friendly solutions.

Partnerships with Ontario’s Environmental Industry

We understand the need to support Ontario’s new, low-carbon economy with innovation, research and new green products and processes.

We want Ontario to be the place to come for the clean technology that will help us reduce our carbon footprint, and ensure we have clean air to breathe, safe water to drink and well-protected land.

There is much impressive work being done by ONEIA members as well as others in the environmental industry. 

You are making significant strides in environmental engineering, waste management, clean and renewable energy technologies, cleaning contaminated water, air filtration and environmentally-responsible products.

There is no reason Ontario can’t be the hub of green technology and green jobs and together we need to make that happen.\

We are partnering with ONEIA on this study project to help give us a good picture of where we are, the challenges and opportunities we are facing and the next steps we should be taking. There is no doubt the greening of our economy represents our best path forward to a better and more sustainable future — and to the health and prosperity that Ontarians want and deserve.

I know we have what it takes to succeed in a new, sustainable economy. 

We have some excellent companies doing good and important work here and we want to help them take it to the next level.

Let’s keep working together on building a successful environmental industry — and help build the foundation of Ontario’s new green economy.

Thank you.

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