The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) has just released its State of Ontario’s Protected Areas Report on the Environmental Registry.  Protected areas are a critical tool to conserve biodiversity in Ontario.  This report lays out:

• a brief historical perspective of the protected area system;
• legislative and strategic direction for the protected area system;
• an overview of protected area selection, planning and management;
• information on the ecological, geological and cultural heritage features within the system of protected areas;
• known pressures on ecological integrity, and responses to those pressures; and,
• social and economic aspects associated with protected areas.

The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO) first talked about the need to report on the over-all ecological health of our system of provincial parks and conservation reserves in our 2006/2007 Annual Report.

In our 2008/2009 Annual Report, the ECO wrote that it is extremely important that this report provide a frank assessment of the state of Ontario’s protected areas. This report should hopefully be used by MNR to focus its resources on key systemic issues, be they common threats to ecological integrity or the need to expand government policy to adequately address a developing issue.

This morning I opened the Toronto Star to see an interesting spread (page GT4 – print edition only) based on the “Sunshine List,” the list of all public servants making over $100,000 per year. Of course with my Environmental Commissioner of Ontario’s salary of $168,830 I always make the list, but what was interesting was the comparisons laid out in the graphic by the Star. Various public servants were grouped by areas like education, health, finances, etc. I was in a category called “How Green is their Paycheque?” and was relieved to see that I was the leader, maintaining a comfortable margin over rivals like the Manager of Beef, Sheep and Goats at OMAFRA. Between categories however, we greenies didn’t compare so well. As king of green I was behind the Plumber/Pipefitter & Construction guy at OPG, and barely squeaked ahead of the TTC Foreperson – Structure Rehabilitation. But that puts me in the company of people who sound like they do an honest day’s work on important stuff. So I’m OK with that.

The finance people, wow do they ever do well, ranging from $250K to $550K. But then look at Hospital CEOs – all topping $700K – and a University President topping a million bucks! I guess the message is, you don’t go green for the green. And do you know what? That’s a reality that most environmental people understood years ago, and it did not deter them pursuing careers in their field, because they are motivated not by money but by the desire to do right by Gaia and future generations of humanity. I’m very lucky (and thankful) to be on the Sunshine List. The great majority of people who work so hard and with such sincerity for the conservation of the environment don’t and may never look forward to achieving the $100K threshold. In my mind the real sun shines on them for their courage, dedication and selflessness.

Gord Miller
commissioner@eco.on.ca