Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services Report

This 700-page report from the Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services spans 362 recommendations and urges some major changes to the way Ontario delivers public services. Chapter 13 deals with Environment and Natural Resources and outlines the Need for Transformation. Most responsibility for protecting the province’s environmental and natural heritage falls to two ministries: the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) and Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR).

As recently noted by the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, the core business of these two ministries has become much more complex since their inception. And though they must deal with expanding responsibilities that address entirely new environmental issues, their overall capacity — financial resources, staffing levels and in-house expertise — has not kept pace.

A new paradigm for environmental and natural resource programs and services is desperately needed, shaped by factors of both supply and demand. On the supply side, the fiscal restraint we recommend in this report will further limit the funding available to meet these ministries’ legislated and policy-driven obligations.

At the same time, demand for continued oversight of environmental approvals, compliance and natural resource stewardship is set to rise. For example, development of the Ring of Fire (an area of northern Ontario with potentially large deposits of valuable minerals such as chromite, nickel, copper and platinum) will put added stress on the approval and compliance resources of several provincial ministries. It will also demand greater collaboration among provincial ministries and other levels of government. In addition, increased demand for renewable energy will place further pressure on the province’s approvals and compliance processes, such as the Renewable Energy Approvals (REAs) that directly support the province’s Green Energy and Green Economy Act.

Transformational changes are essential to improve how government operates in this area. We recommend several measures that would improve effectiveness and efficiency.