For immediate release:
April 15, 2008

Opposition Enviro Critic highlights unrealized potential
for Ontario Environment Industry
MPP Barrett calls for “real” partnership with gov’t to cut through red-tape

Queen’s Park— The province’s Environment Critic is calling on government to “unplug” the backlog and tap into the potential for working with Ontario Environment Industries.

MPP Toby Barrett spoke at Queens Park after meeting with members of the Ontario Environment Industry Association (ONEIA) as part of the eighth annual Environment Industry Day at Queens Park.

“Ontario’s environment industry represents more than 2,400 companies.” Barrett reported to the house. “They contribute well over $7 billion to our economy and, as we heard earlier, close to 60,000 jobs.”

Barrett went on to speak about the potential of Environment Industries to both meet the province’s environmental challenges and help to increase job creation in an Ontario that is rife with signs of economic downturn.

“A healthy environment and a growing economy are not only compatible but also mutually beneficial,” stated Barrett. “The environment industry can create and deliver the new technology, the products that are in demand both here and around the world, and they also have the ability to support traditional manufacturers as they become more environmentally efficient.”

Barrett concluded by calling on government to move forward with ONEIA to remove some of the hurdles that are preventing members from realizing their potential.

“I do hear from industry representatives about a need for a real partnership with the Ontario government to cut through the regulations,” summed up Barrett. “…to cut through the red tape, to unplug the log jams for project approvals, which may prevent many of these companies from moving forward on the kind of good work that they do.”

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For more information, please contact
MPP Toby Barrett at: (416) 325-8404,
(519) 428-0446 or 1-800-903-8629