Minister's Speech

Remarks Prepared For:

The Honourable John Gerretsen
Minister of the Environment

Economic Club of Canada
April 21, 2009

(Check against delivery)

Thank you, Mark, for that kind introduction.

(Minister to be introduced by Mark Adler, President and CEO of the Economic Club of Canada)

Today, we live in a new world.

It’s a world where economic growth and prosperity must go hand-in-hand with sound environmental stewardship.

It’s a world of bold thinking and strong leadership. From business and from government.

It is, my friends, a world that is both long overdue and one where Ontario can, and will thrive.

As we move further into the 21st century, we have a wonderful chance to synchronize our cutting-edge innovation and technological advances with our environmental initiatives.

In fact, I’m confident that the people are ahead of the politicians on this one.

Men, women and, most of all, children are taking a stand on behalf of a clean, green world.

Together, we are truly making a difference.

There is no longer any question of if or when we should act.

It is about doing the right thing and creating the kind of province we want to live in and the kind of world we want to pass on to our children.

There is no debate whether the economy and the environment can both be supported...

We don’t often talk about the economy and the environment together. Yet we are increasingly aware that, as Senator Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day once put it “the economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment”.

It was not so long ago that environmental concerns were seen as being counter to job creation and stimulating economic growth.

Quite the contrary, the public is beginning to understand what the McGuinty government has been saying for years; that good environmental policy is good economic policy.

Business Going Green

Environmental concerns aren’t going away.

Just look at the latest MacLean’s. They are recognizing the top 30 green employers in Canada in the latest issue of the magazine.

These companies clearly understand link between “going green” and economic growth and prosperity.

As MacLean’s notes: “employers are finding new purpose and plenty of profit in environmentalism”

The focus on clean, green products and services will be a cornerstone of the economy of tomorrow. And the companies that are getting it and adapting - will be the ones that thrive.

Good for Business Good for the Environment

Some of the companies that are already out in front are companies that are making money from what we used to think of as garbage.

They are profiting both from services that deal with waste and products created from recycled materials.

The opportunities are there.

We are seeing success stories right here in Ontario, with companies like TRY recycling in London.

Building on the concept of zero waste we will help drive our province’s transformation to a greener economy as well as healthier, more sustainable communities.

We only have to look at Ontario‘s waste reduction programs to see how successful we can be when we tackle issues together.

Just in the past few months, with our partners, we’ve introduced new programs for diverting and disposing of municipal hazardous or special waste such as paints, solvents and batteries.

We’ve announced an e-waste program, which will divert about 90,000 tonnes of old computers, printers and televisions — along with the toxics they contain — from landfills each year.

And just a few weeks ago, I announced the latest waste reduction program that will see manufacturers take responsibility for the 12 million used tires generated in Ontario each year and recycle them into new products.

In fact, this is already happening at companies like National Rubber Technologies here in Toronto.

The company takes scrap tires and processes them into new products like automotive parts and flooring. With 300 employees, they produce around 100 million pounds of recycled rubber products a year.

Just recently, I visited a brand new business in my hometown of Kingston.

Norterra Organics, part of Scott Environmental, is a state-of-the art organics processing plant that will create jobs and divert 40,000 metric tons of organic waste from landfill. The expansion is a direct result of our government’s investment through the Eastern Development Fund.

These kinds of businesses are going to be the norm, not the exception, as we build a more sustainable economy in Ontario.

This is the way we need to go.

We need to shift from a culture of disposal to a culture of zero waste.

It’s all about looking at waste in a new way.

As authors Bill McDonough and Thomas Friedman have stated “we need to eliminate the concept of waste.”

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 —no matter what sector you’re talking about.

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

Going from “cradle to cradle” reduces our need for raw materials and conserves resources — reduces harmful greenhouse gases, reduces energy costs for extraction and processing, saves money and adds to the bottom line.

Toxics Reduction Strategy

When we consider reducing or eliminating waste we must also recognize that we need to find ways to reduce other substances like toxics from our air, land and water.

Recently, our government began to move forward on reducing toxics in the environment, a key commitment of our election campaign.

As a first step, we banned both the sale and the use of cosmetic pesticides on lawns, gardens, parks and school yards across Ontario.

This eliminates an unnecessary risk to our health, in particular the health of our children, as well as to the environment.

But we’ve also seen businesses take the ball and run with it.

Manufacturers are investing in innovation and developing pesticide-free technologies and products. Retailers are stocking eco-friendly lawn and garden solutions. Organic lawn care businesses are creating jobs and gearing up for the increased demand that will occur when the ban takes effect tomorrow on Earth Day.

The environment and the economy are seeing positive effects.

And we would like to see positive effects by reducing toxics from industry as well.

Our recently introduced Toxics Reduction Act, if passed, would make this change possible by requiring regulated facilities to account for the toxics they are using, plan for their reduction and make a summary of the plan available to the public.

Information provided by facilities would enable Ontarians to know about toxics in their communities and provide them with the necessary knowledge to make informed choices.

Should the proposed Bill be passed, the province would be investing $24 million to support Ontario’s industries in transforming their processes, find green chemistry alternatives and reduce the use of toxics in their operations.

And there’s a bottom-line incentive for business to act.

Prokleen Washing Services gets it.

This is a small Oakville tanker and container cleaning service company.

Making investments to reduce toxics at Prokleen has resulted in $198,000 in annual savings to the company, while at the same time achieving impressive environmental benefits by reducing 35 tonnes of toxics a year.

In fact, a number of small and medium-sized companies — from printing to chemical processing, metal finishing to electric equipment manufacturing have piloted this kind of work and they have all experienced a payback time of less than a year.

Our government sees green chemistry as a prime opportunity for Ontario to develop and commercialize the technologies that industries here and around the world will need to reduce their reliance on toxics.

We want the well-paying green collar jobs and investment that will result to occur right here in Ontario.

Ontario has the know-how, the talented researchers and skilled workers to get out front in this burgeoning field – and we intend to take full advantage.

Green Energy and the Green Economy

As the Premier has been saying for years: good environmental policy is good economic policy.

Energy is one area where the link between economy and environment is clearly illustrated.

And there is tremendous opportunity in clean, green, renewable energy.

Here in Ontario, since 2003, close to 1,000 megawatts of new renewable energy have come online with investments totalling $1.7 Billion, creating more than 1,000 jobs.

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

If passed, it would advance the creation of renewable power — bringing more wind, solar, water and biomass projects to life, and helping us realize our goal of replacing all coal-fired electricity generation in the province by 2014.

It will speed up new projects. Green energy projects would no longer be subject to the requirements under the Planning Act or, in most cases, the Environmental Assessment Act.

Instead, my ministry and the Ministry of Natural Resources would coordinate requirements and would offer a one-window approach that would reduce red tape and duplication, speed up approvals and provide certainty to businesses, to municipal governments and residents.

It would create a culture of conservation, one where we could go about our daily lives using less energy and reducing our carbon footprint.

These two thrusts combined would support the growth of a new green economy in Ontario and create good jobs for Ontarians.

These jobs could range from modernizing and expanding energy infrastructure - to developing and deploying the green-energy technologies, products and services.

Our government developed this proposed legislation in clear understanding that environmental protection and economic growth can and will work together.

Cap-and-Trade

I want to discuss one more area where our government fully understands the connections between environmental protection and economic development and trade.

Climate change is the principal environmental concern of our time.

Inaction is not an option. It’s too important to our future. And Ontario is a North American leader in the fight.

Our Climate Change Action Plan sets greenhouse gas reduction targets of six per cent below 1990 levels by 2014, and 15 per cent below by 2020.

To achieve these tough yet realistic targets, the plan includes wide-ranging measures that will mobilize all parts of our society.

But we can’t do it alone.

Climate change is a global problem that involves working with other leading provinces and states, with our federal partners and the US government as well as internationally.

A national and international cap-and-trade system will be the most important tool in our response to both the environmental and economic challenges associated with climate change.

It is an effective tool not only for achieving our greenhouse gas reduction targets at least cost, but can also encourage innovation and new economic opportunities.

The new Obama administration in the U.S. has also indicated aggressive plans to put in place a trading system with hard caps which will create both challenge and opportunities for Canada and Ontario, to which we will need to respond.

We also need to ensure a consistent approach and a level playing field for Ontario’s industries and competitors in the U.S. and other jurisdictions — one which is responsible, reasonable, fair and realistic for Ontario’s industries.

Last year, Ontario and Quebec signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on a cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gas emissions that would be consistent with a broader North America cap-and-trade system.

We’ve joined the Western Climate Initiative – a group of provinces and states working together to find regional solutions to climate change.

We believe WCI will be very influential in the development of U.S. federal policies on cap-and-trade, and Ontario intends to play a significant role in discussion with our federal government.

That is why my ministry is currently consulting on a provincial cap-and-trade framework that can ultimately align with a broader North American and potentially an international system.

Developing guidelines now will provide the certainty Ontario industries need and Ontario’s early action on cap-and-trade will help secure Ontario a leading and dominant place in an emerging green economy.

We need to be flexible, because as yet there is no ONE right way to do things.

The experience in Europe has given us valuable information and we’ve been busy talking to stakeholders to find out what is needed from Ontario’s perspective.

We know a North American cap and trade system is coming.

We need to be in early to ensure we have a strong voice at the table.

That way we can ensure a system that’s both progressive and flexible — one that will create green jobs, green technology, green energy and help industry’s transition to a green economy.

Conclusion

As we continue to move forward, we will continue working in cooperation with industry to build a strong and modern economy that is environmentally sustainable.

It’s not only the right thing to do — there really is no other option.

We no longer have the luxury of putting off the hard decisions for the next government, or the one after that.

Sometimes, at particular moments in history, we are called on to overcome immense challenges.

Let there be no doubt about the fact that humankind faces such a test at this moment, both in environmental and economic terms.

But, as with every great challenge, there is opportunity.

For those of us in Ontario, that opportunity lies in taking all of our know-how and our resilience and developing a model that can serve as an example for the rest of the world.

Our work has begun and there is much more we must do.

With your continued partnership and support, we can and we will build a healthy, sustainable and prosperous Ontario.

Thank you.

-30-

Back to Speeches