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Notes for remarks

by

The Honourable Laurel Broten
Minister of the Environment

York Transit Announcement

May 12, 2006

(Check against delivery)

Thank you.

I’m pleased to be here with Minister Takhar and York Region Chair Bill Fisch.

And, I have to add — what a great way to get here!

It’s easy to see why more and more people are choosing to ride on Viva. These buses are so comfortable it truly feels like you’re riding first-class all the way.

With today’s announcement, we’re making it even better.

This is a great day for Ontario’s environment.

As Minister of the Environment, I’m proud to help you mark the next, very important step for transit in York Region. It also means a big stride forward for cleaner air and a healthier environment.

Putting a new rapid transit corridor along this busy section of Yonge Street will mean fewer cars on the road and help reduce the amount of harmful emissions going into our air.

Like so many Ontarians, I’m very concerned about the health risks associated with smog.

More than 5,800 Ontarians die every year from illnesses related to air pollution.

Childhood asthma rates have skyrocketed in recent years.

And — air pollution incurs more than $3.4 billion dollars a year in health and environmental costs in Ontario.

Improving Ontario’s air means improving Ontario’s health — one of our government’s key priorities. That’s why we have an aggressive plan to improve our air quality.

We are committed to closing all coal-burning electricity plants in Ontario.

We’ve put in place a regulation that requires gasoline in our province to contain five per cent ethanol, on an annual average, by 2007.

And we’re investing more than half a billion dollars over 12 years to develop Ontario’s ethanol industry.

We’ve set new and updated standards for 40 harmful air pollutants and set strict limits on seven industrial sectors to reduce smog-causing emissions — marking the strongest stand any Ontario government has taken in our province on air pollution in 25 years.

Ontario’s Drive Clean program is continuing to reduce smog-causing emissions from vehicles and we’ve exempted hybrid vehicles from Drive Clean testing to encourage people to drive greener, more environmentally-friendly vehicles.

I’m proud to belong to a government that is taking an aggressive stand on improving air quality in Ontario.

We are making significant progress, but there is much more to be done.

It’s up to all of us to make choices that will help improve our environment — like choosing to take Viva transit instead of taking your car.

Our government will continue to take positive action, on behalf of all Ontarians, and for the sake of our children and their children.

And we look forward to working with our partners here in York Region towards a cleaner, healthier, more liveable Ontario.

Thank you.

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