Good environmental policy is good economic policy, according to Todd McCarthy, Ontario’s Acting Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks, who participated in the Environment Industry Day reception at the Queen’s Park Legislative Assembly. Environment Journal is a proud media partner of this important industry event.
The annual event, presented by the Ontario Environment Industry Association (ONEIA), brings executives from Ontario’s environment and cleantech sector to Queen’s Park to discuss issues and solutions, and raise the industry’s profile with elected officials.
Sponsors of the event included Waste Connections of Canada, WSP in Canada, ERIS, Walker Industries, ECO Canada, Datanest, RWDI, SLR Consulting, and Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP.
From left to right: Bahman Bani of Jacobs, ONEIA Executive Director Michael Fagan, and Janet Bobechko of WierFoulds LLP.
“ONEIA is a fantastic organization, with 30 years of leading in this area,” said McCarthy, who is filling in for Minister Andrea Khanjin while on maternity leave. “I know that you’ve met MPPs of all stripes and that’s a good thing. We know that we can have a common cause and put partisanship aside on so many important issues, especially when it comes to our common cause of protecting our environment for future generations.”
“I do believe that we can and should be good stewards of the environment while building the Ontario of tomorrow. In fact, good environmental policy is good economic policy. And I know that is certainly a motto that ONEIA reflects and abides by,” said McCarthy, who acknowledged that Ontario’s cleantech and environment sector contributed $27.5 billion to the GDP in 2022.
“We want to help your businesses continue to grow and prosper. As Premier Ford says, that means creating and enhancing the conditions for growth and prosperity. One of the ways we’re doing this is by reducing red tape to help ensure Ontario remains a key player in the North American and global economy,” stated McCarthy.
Todd McCarthy, Ontario’s Acting Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks.
He explained how since 2018, the beginning of the Conservative government’s first term in office, the Ontario government has undertaken over 500 initiatives to help save people, businesses and not for profits over $1 billion every year or 1.5 million hours of time saved. The actions have helped improve competitiveness and supported stronger supply chains to make it easier for the province to collaborate with other governments. Two weeks ago the government introduced the Cutting Red Tape, Building Ontario Act 2024, which has since received royal assent.
MPP Mike Schreiner, leader of the Ontario Green Party, also provided remarks. He said he voted for the Red Tape Reduction bill as it supported brownfields development. “I’ve had many conversations with ONEIA about the role you can play in unlocking more housing within our existing neighbourhoods if we just make it easier for you to remediate brownfields.” He added that he is lobbying the government to bring back the Brownfields Remediation Fund.
MPP Mike Schreiner, Ontario Green Party Leader.
“I think Ontario has to do a better job of attracting investment into the province, whether it’s cleantech, circular economy, water purification, and more. “Ontario at one time had more cleantech startups being funded than anywhere else in the world. We’ve slipped a bit and I want to see us get back there again,” said Schreiner, who has served as the leader of the Green Party of Ontario since 2009. His 2018 election made him the first Green Party member elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
MPP Mary-Margaret McMahon, Liberal Critic for Environment and Climate Change.
“The number one reason I jumped back into politics is the climate emergency, so it’s great to be in a room filled with like-minded people doing great things for the planet,” said MPP Mary-Margaret McMahon, Liberal Critic for Environment and Climate Change. “Good clean green jobs are the way of the future and we are lagging behind the rest of the world. We need to get on board and not be shy.”
Presentation of Skip Willis award
The Skip Willis Memorial Award is presented to exceptional people working in the environment space in Ontario. The spirit of the award is to recognize those who, like the late Skip Willis, have gone above and beyond to promote collaboration between the industry and government and is a true leader who demonstrates integrity, generosity, tenacity and a track record for raising awareness about the environment sector in Ontario.
For 2024, the Skip Willis award was presented to Brandon Moffat, co-founder and executive vice president of StormFisher Hydrogen, a cleantech leader working to use under valued resources to create better uses for these products.
Moffat wasn’t able to attend the event in person, but he provided remarks via video: “I appreciate the ONEIA board and nominating committee for selecting me for the Skip Willis award. As you may all be aware, Skip was a preeminent leader in Canada regarding the environmental business sector and engagement with government. It is great working with all of you, both current and past stakeholders within ONEIA on various policy and advocacy initiatives. And I look forward to working with you in the future.”
Environment Industry Day 2024 Overview – ONEIA Brief
We are the industry association representing companies working in the environment and cleantech sector in Ontario. For more than three decades, ONEIA has engaged with government to encourage policies and regulations that help the sector better deliver the market-driven solutions needed to address today’s most pressing environmental challenges. Our members also maintain a watch on the future, looking for emerging challenges and opportunities, all with the intent of ensuring that Ontario remains a sustainable, healthy and economically attractive place to live and work.
Membership – With over 500 representatives from a diverse range of companies providing goods, services and solutions, ONEIA has connections across all areas of environmental activity including water, waste, energy, air and land. Our members range from sole proprietors to large multinationals, truly reflecting the full breadth of organizations working in this very important sector. For many ONEIA member companies, their primary business is developing, producing, and providing environmental products, services and solutions that protect the environment, reducing risk, protecting health and supporting economic well-being. ONEIA’s member network also includes other key participants in the environment and cleantech sector, such as law and insurance firms, investment institutes, and academia.
Environment and the Economy – There are more than 3,000 companies in Ontario’s environment and cleantech sector employing more than 226,000 people. These companies contribute more than $27.5 billion annually to Ontario’s economy, including $7.2 billion in exports. This is a growth sector that saw 8.4% growth between 2017-2022, with expectations to grow by at least nine percent by 2029. Yet these numbers don’t fully capture the true value of the environment and cleantech sector to the province, as we critically facilitate the goals and successes of other sectors and related initiatives that are important to the economic future of the province. These include: Building more and affordable housing, providing cost-effective energy and other critical infrastructure, and helping mitigate the economic and social costs driven by climate risk.
Policy Priorities – ONEIA recognizes that the province has broad policy objectives:
• Building more homes faster
• Investing in important infrastructure
• Expanding the labour market with better jobs
• Making life more affordable for families and businesses
Policy Solutions – With our experience getting things done, ONEIA members know where and how the environment and cleantech sector can support these priorities. ONEIA has three principles that form the foundation of our interactions with government and other impacted stakeholders: sound science, sound environment and sound economy. With that in mind, our ask to the various Ministries is to proactively involve ONEIA and its members in collaborative approaches on a variety of fronts, where we can bring to the conversation our industry insights and suggestions, derived from our hands-on experience getting work done in the sector.
Areas of active focus within ONEIA include:
• Red tape reduction for environmental approvals and operations, which enable timelier and more cost-effective developments of housing, infrastructure, transportation, and energy initiatives.
• Positioning and supporting the sector as an attractive source of reliable, high-paying jobs
• Continuing support of cross-border trade as a market for Ontario environment and cleantech sector expertise
• Integration of innovation to drive competitiveness and cost reduction
• Mitigating the potentially large economic and social costs associated with climate risk
Ongoing Dialogue – We look forward to the opportunity to expand our interaction through a variety of means – ideally early in the process or discussion. These exchanges can include:
• Submissions on budget and regulatory proposals
• Engagement with ministries and agencies on policy plans and process/procedural approaches
• Advisory support to government on process efficiency, cost reduction and innovation.
ONEIA Advocacy and Interest Areas –
• Climate Change • PFAS • Resource Recovery • Brownfields • Excess Soil • Energy • Environmental Infrastructure • Water • Labour / Young Professional • Artificial Intelligence
Upcoming ONEA events in 2025 include the Curling Bonspiel on February 27 and the Business Policy Forum on May 8.
For further information about ONEIA events and initiatives, click here.
