Environmental Commissioner of Ontario
Encyclopedia
The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario ("ECO") is an office
of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
, Canada
. The Commissioner is a public servant and does not report to any single Ministry
, but rather to the Legislature itself.
The Commissioner is appointed by the government, on the advice of the Legislature, for a term of five years, and must swear to "faithfully and impartially exercise the functions of the office," which is to uphold and protect the Environmental Bill of Rights
.
The office of the Commissioner was created by the New Democratic Party of Ontario government of Bob Rae
. Eva Ligeti
was appointed Ontario's first Environmental Commissioner in May 1994 by an all party committee of the Legislature. On August 18, 1999, the Progressive Conservative
government decided not to renew Ligeti's term. Without any notice, and without consulting any opposition parties, they appointed Ivy Wile as a temporary Commissioner, and made it known that they were considering abolishing the office of Environmental Commissioner.
The current Commissioner is Gord Miller
, who was appointed in 2000 by the Mike Harris
Progressive Conservative government, then re-appointed in 2005 under the Ontario Liberal Party
government of Dalton McGuinty
for a second term.
In April, 2007, the ECO published its seventh Special Report, "Doing Less with Less: How shortfalls in budget, staffing and in-house expertise are hampering the effectiveness of MOE and MNR." This report details the how two Ontario ministries that bear the main burdens for environmental protection have suffered a gradual but steady erosion of funding, staffing and expertise.
In October, 2008, the ECO released its Annual Report "Getting to K(No)w". The main focus of the Commissioner’s annual report is the current state of the Environmental Assessment Process. He describes it as “a vision lost,” lacking in transparency. The Commissioner explains that flaws in the Environmental Assessment process have been exploited and important issues that may shut down a project are often excluded: “Things get excluded, like the discussion of the need for the project, and the discussion of alternatives that could satisfy that need. The very essence of the Environmental Assessment [can] be scoped out of a process. And that is totally unsatisfactory, yet it remains the case to this day.”
Office
An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...
of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The Commissioner is a public servant and does not report to any single Ministry
Ministry (government department)
A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of government public administration, sometimes led by a minister or a senior public servant, that can have responsibility for one or more departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions or other smaller executive, advisory, managerial or...
, but rather to the Legislature itself.
The Commissioner is appointed by the government, on the advice of the Legislature, for a term of five years, and must swear to "faithfully and impartially exercise the functions of the office," which is to uphold and protect the Environmental Bill of Rights
Environmental Bill of Rights
The Environmental Bill of Rights is a piece of legislation enacted in Ontario, Canada in 1993 that allows citizens to help protect and restore the natural environment. The bill provides every resident with formal rights to play a more effective role...
.
The office of the Commissioner was created by the New Democratic Party of Ontario government of Bob Rae
Bob Rae
Robert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
. Eva Ligeti
Eva Ligeti
Eva Bobbi Ligeti was chosen as Ontario’s first Environmental Commissioner of Ontario by an all-party committee of the legislature in 1994....
was appointed Ontario's first Environmental Commissioner in May 1994 by an all party committee of the Legislature. On August 18, 1999, the Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
government decided not to renew Ligeti's term. Without any notice, and without consulting any opposition parties, they appointed Ivy Wile as a temporary Commissioner, and made it known that they were considering abolishing the office of Environmental Commissioner.
The current Commissioner is Gord Miller
Gord Miller (environmental commissioner)
Gord Miller is the current Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, Canada. He has served as the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario since 2000, and oversees the implementation of the Environmental Bill of Rights....
, who was appointed in 2000 by the Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
Progressive Conservative government, then re-appointed in 2005 under the Ontario Liberal Party
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
government of Dalton McGuinty
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
for a second term.
In April, 2007, the ECO published its seventh Special Report, "Doing Less with Less: How shortfalls in budget, staffing and in-house expertise are hampering the effectiveness of MOE and MNR." This report details the how two Ontario ministries that bear the main burdens for environmental protection have suffered a gradual but steady erosion of funding, staffing and expertise.
In October, 2008, the ECO released its Annual Report "Getting to K(No)w". The main focus of the Commissioner’s annual report is the current state of the Environmental Assessment Process. He describes it as “a vision lost,” lacking in transparency. The Commissioner explains that flaws in the Environmental Assessment process have been exploited and important issues that may shut down a project are often excluded: “Things get excluded, like the discussion of the need for the project, and the discussion of alternatives that could satisfy that need. The very essence of the Environmental Assessment [can] be scoped out of a process. And that is totally unsatisfactory, yet it remains the case to this day.”