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Notes for remarks

by

The Honourable Laurel Broten
Minister of the Environment

Environmental Careers Organization: ECO Conference Canada 2006
“Environmental Careers and Ontario’s Future”

Doubletree International Hotel
Toronto, ON
Thursday, January 26, 2006

(Check against delivery)

Good afternoon and thank you.

I’d especially like to thank Grant Trump (President and CEO – ECO) and the organizers for inviting me to be here this afternoon.

ECO Canada combines youth and fresh ideas with experience and expertise. It’s a winning combination in a burgeoning field that contributes so much to Ontarians’ health and prosperity.

I officially started my own environmental career about eight months ago. And while I have always been involved in one way or another in health and environmental issues, being Minister has exposed me to the broad and fascinating range of opportunities in the environmental sector where hard work, ingenuity and creativity will go a long way to help ensure a sustainable future for our province for generations to come.

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that – in the twenty-first century – there is no career path more potent, more progressive and more critical to the future of society than the one you have chosen.

Aucun domaine de carriere n’est, au vingt et unieme siecle, plus stratégique, plus progressif et plus crucial pour l’avenir de la société que celui que vous avez choisi.

That’s why I’m so delighted to have the opportunity to speak to people who are leading this charge. You represent our environmental future.

Just look at the numbers. Ontario’s environment industry sector is growing in leaps and bounds and now includes more than 2,300 companies, upwards of 60,000 jobs and revenues of almost $7 billion. That’s because new environmental technologies promote the values that business loves most.

They are efficient.

They create markets were none existed before.

They create value.

And perhaps most important, they are sustainable.

Ontario environmental professionals such as yourselves understand implicitly that we have huge opportunities for growth in this sector.

If government sets an example, business will rise to the challenge. Industry will find innovative solutions and technologies to meet our society’s needs in this most complex and fascinating time.

The bottom line is we simply cannot have a safe, clean environment without a strong environment industry dedicated to its protection.

From my perspective as Minister of the Environment, I understand the importance of leading-edge environmental practitioners.

I rely upon the experience and expertise of the hundreds of dedicated professionals on staff to provide support in moving ahead with our government’s ambitious environmental agenda.

And what an agenda it is. Our government is engaged in some of the most exciting environmental developments of our time.

We are making excellent progress in the areas you’re discussing today – brownfields remediation and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

I want to spend a few minutes talking about climate change. There is no question in my mind that climate change is a real threat to the sustainability of our way of life, that we are contributing to the problem and that we have a responsibility to address it.

Il n’y a aucun doute pour moi que le changement climatique menace véritablement notre mode de vie, que nous contribuons au probleme et que nous avons la responsabilité de contribuer aux efforts déployés pour trouver une solution.

Of course, we’re all aware that there are critics of the Kyoto protocol and some that question the science behind climate change. These critics need to wake up. In my view, there is no time to waste. It is government’s role to raise the bar high, to set standards that will effectively encourage change. As a society, we have no choice.

For instance, many critics have said taking action on climate change will require a massive adjustment in the way we live and do business.

Has it ever been any other way? When has the status quo ever been acceptable? Business, above anyone else, should understand that.
What we build, where we live, how we get our fuel and energy – these have changed many times in our history. And they will change again. Will they do so for the better or for the worse?

Ce que nous construisions, les lieux oú nous vivons, la maniere dont nous obtenons notre carburant et notre énergie – tout cela a changé bine des fois au cours de l’histoire. Et cela changera encore. Mais est-ce que ce sera en mieux ou en pire?

By taking real action on climate change, in 50 years our economy could be dramatically altered, and that could be a very good thing.

Potentially, we could have an economy based on clean and renewable fuels, on zero-emission transportation, on energy-efficient homes and businesses. Actions to address climate change won’t destroy the economy; they will replace it with something better.

We know that people like you – business and government leaders alike – are listening. And just like most people, we all want to do the right thing. We’re not actively resisting change: we just don’t all know how to change, or why we should.

Globally, we need to be “sensitized” to environmental issues. My government is not afraid to do the right thing for the province and for the future. We are closing all of our coal-fired electricity plants. This will reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our province by 30 megatonnes a year. We shut the first plant down this year and we will close the last one by 2009.

This was a tough decision but we knew it had to be done.

5,800 Ontarians die every year from illness related to air pollution. Childhood asthma rates have skyrocketed in recent years. Air pollution incurs $3.4 billion dollars a year in health and environmental costs in Ontario.

Coal will be replaced by a mix of cleaner and renewable energy, and help create a more competitive energy market. And one thing is certain: the marketplace will demand clean technologies in time.

In Ontario, we are shifting away from the old rules that stifled innovation. We have strengthened our air emissions caps on our largest industrial sectors. And we have introduced environmental penalties so there’s a financial incentive for preventing spills.

It is no coincidence that the most prosperous jurisdictions are also those with the highest environmental standards. The two must stay linked as we work towards a more sustainable future

Of course, clean air is critical to our future, but what about water, the source of life?

I want to take a moment to talk about an important piece of legislation that I introduced in the legislature at Queen’s Park last month. The Clean Water Act, if passed, will ensure that Ontarians will have clean, safe and abundant water – in fact, some of the best protected drinking water in the world.

The Clean Water Act is the first piece of legislation that I introduced as Minister…and it’s a vital link in the chain of safeguards protecting Ontario’s drinking water at every stage from source to tap.

With this legislation, we are acting on our most fundamental beliefs about drinking water and the best ways to protect it. As a result of this legislation, if passed, we will together map out our sources of drinking water, assess potential risks and take action to secure clean, safe drinking water for generations to come.

These are just a few of the areas we are tackling. Of course, there is still more we can do to give Ontarians the choices they deserve – the necessary options for life in the 21st century – for our good health, the health of our communities and our province’s economy.

That’s where you come in – to want a better future for our province and so others will benefit from our experience.

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy addressed the United Nations and said, “WE have the power to make this the best generation of mankind in the history of the world – or to make it the last.”

I’d like to make “our generation” the best and I know together, we can make that happen.

Keep up the good work!

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