Minister's Speech

Remarks prepared for:

The Honourable John Gerretsen
Minister of the Environment

Official Launch Partners in Project Green

(Check against delivery)

Thank you, Toby.

I’m pleased to be here this evening along with my good friend and colleague, the Minister of Natural Resources, Donna Cansfield.

I want to begin by congratulating the TRCA, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, the Region of Peel, City of Toronto, City of Brampton, and City of Mississauga for all coming together to make Partners in Project Green a reality.

This is really exciting.

We need more projects and partnerships like this one and I know you're going to attract a lot of interest from a lot of different sectors.

It’s interesting to note that if you tried this ten years ago you probably would have been given a polite “no thanks” from many corners.

Times certainly are changing — and rapidly.

Today, any company that wants to remain competitive has to adapt and develop sustainable business practices.

“Business as usual” just isn’t workable any more.

Successful companies have to examine their traditional practices and see where they can improve.

The fact is, a lot of businesses want to “go green” but they need advice and they need help.

Thanks to your efforts, any business here in the new eco-business zone is going to get that help and the best available advice.

This is, I think, a practical approach to giving companies the edge they need as the green economy continues to grow.

Premier McGuinty has stated the only way for Ontario “...to get green...is to go green.”

Our government has made “going green” our priority and we've set broad but realistic goals for Ontario.

Our five-point Go Green Action Plan on Climate Change outlines some of our larger efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and gives us a comprehensive framework for action:

It sets out tough targets for reducing Ontario’s GHG emissions.

It calls for an investment of $17.5-billion in public transit—the largest such investment in Canadian history — 52 projects adding approximately 900 kilometres of transit across the GTA.

It includes more than a billion dollars in investment for creating new jobs in the green economy through the Next Generation of Jobs fund — a fund designed to encourage and promote jobs in our rapidly growing green sector. That sector in Ontario is now producing about $1 billion in exports and providing some 60,000 green collar jobs. We all want to see those numbers increase.

The plan also includes long-term targets that will double the amount of electricity we get from renewable sources by 2025.

And we are supporting the kind of “grow green” initiatives that will help address climate change by protecting our Boreal Forest and the Greenbelt, as well as planting 50 million trees.

We want to reduce emissions to 15 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020. Given the latest reports on global CO2 emissions, the need for a comprehensive but flexible strategy is critical if we're to restore the balance.

Our Action Plan includes some of the most progressive and comprehensive measures ever taken on the environment by an Ontario government.

We want to be a leader in tomorrow's green economy because that's where the world is headed.

Partners in Project Green is going to make a huge contribution to Ontario's profile as a leader in green solutions.

Establishing an Eco-Business Zone representing more than 350,000 jobs and 12,500 businesses is a huge benefit — one that will not go unnoticed in the international business community.

Green infrastructure and a large, skilled green-collar workforce will be a huge incentive when it comes to attracting business and investment to Ontario in the years to come.

You're helping Ontario take a leadership role and I believe this is essential for the future of our great province.

We are proud to partner with you and support the success of Partners in Project Green.

It's in the interests of all Ontarians to help find solutions for reducing our emissions and our overall footprint on our environment.

Sustainable growth will be the key to building healthier, stronger and more successful communities across the province.

Partners in Project Green is just one example — a very large one mind you — of how Ontario is readying itself to take a leadership role in the global economy.

I want to close with one more word of thanks and encouragement.

You're helping build a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable future for our people and our province. I can't imagine anything more important than that.

Thank you.

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