Environmental Commissioner to Meet with Sarnia Environmental and Industry Groups
SARNIA, June 22, 2005 – Gord Miller, the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO), is in Sarnia today and tomorrow, June 22 and 23, 2005, to meet with representatives from local environmental and industry groups. The ECO Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Committee, also in the city for the committee’s biannual meeting with the Commissioner, will accompany him on his tour of the Sarnia area.
“As Environmental Commissioner, I think it’s important that I become familiar with the environmental problems of every area of the province, and I know in that regard that Sarnia has been an environmental hotspot,” said Commissioner Miller, who reports annually to the Legislative Assembly on the compliance of Ontario provincial ministries with the Environmental Bill of Rights. “My advisory committee and I are here in Sarnia to understand firsthand these problems, as well as the solutions that industry and environmental groups are proposing to meet them.”
On Wednesday afternoon, June 22, the Commissioner will meet with members of an industry group, the Sarnia Lambton Environmental Association, who will discuss current issues and industry performance trends, as well present the association’s long-term goals regarding environmental issues. On Thursday, June 23, Commissioner Miller and his advisory committee will tour nearby Bickford Oak Woods, hosted by the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Outside First Nations Lands, Bickford Oak Woods is the core of one of the last big forests in southern Ontario.
“I commend the Nature Conservancy for its efforts on behalf of the Bickford Oak Woods,” said Commissioner Miller. “Protecting wooded areas in southern Ontario can make a significant contribution to biodiversity in Ontario and Canada. Woodlands are also critical for both mitigating climate change and coping with its effects.”
For more information, please contact our Communications Coordinator at (416) 325-3371 or by e-mail at media@eco.on.ca.