For Immediate Release:
April 19, 2011
Queens Park – “As people across the province join with those the world over to celebrate and champion efforts to protect our the third planet from the sun this Earth Day, we in Ontario are left wondering if government is even paying attention.”
That’s how Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett attempted to get the attention of the McGuinty Government to provide action rather than words for Earth Day.
“In Ontario, while the McGuinty headlines may be green, once the photo-op is over, the failing results are plain as black and white,” Barrett intoned. “This is a government that blows hard about its favourite ‘dirty coal’ scapegoat, while behind the scenes increasing the output of that same coal to provide our power by 29% last year from 2009.”
Barrett went on to point out that the government record on waste management and diversion has been another example of all talk, little action.
“We’ve seen waste diversion rates falling to less than half the government goal- two years past the mandated timeline, electronics recycling programs reaching only 2 per cent of their diversion targets, and eco taxes throwing support for environmental stewardship into reverse,” Barrett reported. “All this while we await a new Waste Diversion Act that was promised last year on Earth Day.”
Barrett noted that the promise of new legislation was former Environment Minister Gerretsen’s earth day present to us last year, adding that “when we got past the green ribbons and bows, the gift box was empty.”
The Environment Critic questioned how many tonnes of landfill have gone undiverted while the Minister dithers on a new Waste Diversion Act, before encouraging people, “to pitch in and work toward the clean earth goals government seems unable – or unwilling – to achieve.”
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For more information, please contact MPP Toby Barrett at
(519) 428-0446 or (905)-765-8413, 1-800-903-8629