The following open letter to Premier Dalton McGuinty appeared in the Barrie Examiner
Ontario’s Minister of the Environment, John Gerretsen, is either uttering hollow words to fool the people, or he is as confused about the role of the MOE as many Ontarians.
In the legislature on March 1, Gerretsen said, “Within the ministry of the environment, we’re only concerned about three things: No. 1 to have the cleanest air possible in the province of Ontario, to have the cleanest water possible in the province of Ontario and to have the cleanest land possible. We are working on it on a day-to-day basis and we will continue to do so because environmental protection for the health and safety of Ontarians is paramount.”
Gerretsen’s words imply that our MOE is committed to pollution prevention. However, a representative of the MOE recently explained that “the role of the MOE is not to prevent pollution, but rather to ensure that acceptable levels of contaminants are not exceeded.”
There is a problem when the minister and the MOE staff have a different understanding of the role of the MOE.
If the MOE is serious about protecting our air, land and water, as Minister Gerretsen claims, then we should expect to see some positive changes in Ontario very soon.
To demonstrate the commitment to protect our environment, and not merely license pollution, the MOE should immediately revoke the certificate of approval for Site 41 in Simcoe County, ensure that a proposed incinerator in Durham Region is not given authorization to burn garbage, and expedite changes to the Waste Diversion Act to ensure full product stewardship policies, waste reduction goals, and strong enforcement, which will move Ontario into a zero-waste future.
These are just a few ways that the MOE can prove to the people of Ontario that the air, water and land are a top priority for this government.
Please Mr. Gerretsen, put your words into action.
Kelly Clune Orillia
Great letter Kelly! You make some very good points.
This is a fabulous letter, Kelly, BRAVO
I would love to see it in every paper !
dd
New story on http://www.speakingout.biz/id18.htm
The city of Orillia is peppered with old industrial dump sites. The Ministry and the city knew and did nothing over the years. They simply allowed building on vacant land and never informed those who might be at risk. This is a Tragedy without Comedy. For anyone who might still have the slightest faith in the MOE or government this is simply another wake up call. If you think that this is only an Orillia problem think again. All towns with industrial pasts like Midland, Barrie, even Coldwater are the same. Those the most effected are the last to know. That is the shame of it.
jim tolnai
The Minister of the Environment reports to our Prime Minister and we all know where he stands on Environmental issues. The County is always proud to report that what they do is MOE approved. If you write to either one they are happy to point to the other as the solution to our problem and so the letters circulate while the distruction goes on, for years, at least since I’ve been writing them. We are hoping to get good candidates in power, but who is willing to make the sacrifice that goes with taking these jobs? If anybody is out there let us know.
ONDP Leader Andrea Horwath was in Orillia on March 7 and I asked her where the ONDP stood on Bill 32, the Private Member’s Bill that would revoke the Certificate of Approval for Site 41. Andrea congratulated the citizens of Simcoe North for successfully opposing the Site 41 landfill, and said that the ONDP supported Bill 32. However, she added that Dalton McGuinty had prorogued the Legislature and the Bill had died on the order paper. Then she pointed out that the McGuinty administration had the power to cancel the Certificate any time they should decide to do the right thing.
It was suggested to me that if I wanted to find out why the McGuinty administration had not done this, that I should check the Elections Ontario website to see who is donating to the Liberal Party of Ontario. Sure enough, I see that a private corporation called Waste Management Inc. gave $8,500 in the first half of 2009, just for a couple of by-elections. This is more than my entire campaign spent in the 2008 federal election.
If you can give me a list of the known private interests associated with waste management in Simcoe County and beyond, I will do some more research and publish the results. I saw that a lot of the big donors on the website I checked were numbered corporations and individuals. I would welcome any help with this task from concerned citizens.
Richard Banigan
Federal NDP Candidate for Simcoe North
705-533-1495