QUEEN’S PARK – Mike Schreiner, released the following statement in response to the Auditor General’s report on the operation of the Environmental Bill of Rights.
“The Auditor General’s report on the Environmental Bill of Rights merely confirms what we have learned during the Premier’s four and a half years in office – that this government never saw an environmental initiative it didn’t want to roll back, ignore or stall.
The AG’s list of the government’s failings is long, deeply concerning but totally in character.
After all, this is the government that came out of the gate cancelling hundreds of renewable energy projects and then ramped up fossil gas generation instead, fought climate action all the way to the Supreme Court (and lost), and now plans to open up the Greenbelt to sprawl.
The Environmental Bill of Rights was enacted more than a quarter of a century ago to give citizens the right to participate in decisions that affect our environment.
The AG reports that the government has consistently failed to live up to its obligations under the EBR Act, including:
- Meeting just one-third of the criteria set out by the AG for operating the EBR
- Not consulting Ontarians on policies and initiatives with significant environmental implications.
- Not ensuring that the EBR Act applies to all environmentally significant decisions.
- Doing little to educate Ontarians about the EBR Act
These and many other issues identified by the AG are completely in character for a government that routinely conceals information, ignores public opinion and makes politically motivated decisions that harm the environment.”