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Ecowrappin'
Where does the buck stop?
Tuesday, November 26, 2002
In the past your butcher and grocer could tell you the identity of the suppliers of the food they sold to you. The news of your satisfaction or dissatisfaction spread throughout the community like wildfire. No need for an internal audit to measure one’s success.
T. Eaton’s success was attributed to his money back guarantee from his catalogue stores. Economic success today as in the past is due to consumer confidence. Consumer confidence connects back to accountability. But to measure accountability you need a who, a what and a how. And most important of all, somewhere in there, you need the word ethic.
The successful practice of ‘the buck stops here’ has been a continual dilemma since the birth of democracy. The Ontario provincial government’s Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR) and the Canadian Chemical Producers’ Responsible Care are examples of 2 modern day attempts to answer to the public. (Note: The birth place of Responsible Care is in Sarnia, Ontario and has now radiated globally.) This article will examine the accountability of the EBR. My next article will describe Responsible Care.
Under the Environmental Bill of Rights, accountability is introduced under several facets. The Environmental Registry allows access to government decisions both past and pending. Each provincial ministry is supposed to abide by a statement of environmental values with respect to all its policies.
Two Ontario citizens can request a review of an existing law or decision. As well if 2 citizens feel there is imminent harm to an ecosystem they can request an investigation. It’s sort of like a citizen’s arrest if there is a crises to a local stream or wildlife area. The government must respond to these requests in writing and report to the public on any findings.
The EBR also provides Whistle Blower protection should the offending party be an employer and the person reporting the incident is afraid of dismissal or retribution.
Lastly, the government has appointed an Environmental Commissioner, Gord Miller, who acts as an ombudsman, information officer, spokesperson for the public and most important, a critic of government decisions. October 2001, Miller came down hard on the Harris government. For example in a special report “Broken Promises”, he criticized the Ministry of Natural Resources as follows:
“I am reporting that the MNR is thwarting public participation and public scrutiny of environmental decision-making by effectively blocking the final steps in a legal process set out in the EBR.” (June 21, 2001)
"I am gravely concerned that at a time when there is a critical need for the people of Ontario to understand complex environmental issues, environmental science and outdoor education programs are being cancelled throughout the school system.” There is a “the lack of enforcement of Ontario's 3Rs regulations -- to reduce, reuse and recycle -- in the province's industrial and commercial sectors.” (October 2001)
"There seems to be a weak commitment on the part of some ministries to put notices of their proposals on the Registry," Miller explained. He continued in his report by stating that ministries are ‘practising avoidance’, minimizing the public participation required by the Environmental Bill of Rights.” (Nov. 1, 2000.)
The provincial government created the Environmental Commissioner’s office and the Registry for the sole purpose of having an external input to redirect the government when it fails to meet its mandate. However, when the government neither listens to its own advisors nor makes use of the system for public input, there is a serious problem of accountability. Only after the unfortunate deaths in Walkerton did the Harris government decide to re-examine its policies of protecting the public’s safety in drinking water standards. An analogy: A student fails the exam and then decides to study and ask for extra help from the teacher.
How has the government fared since Miller’s last report? Good question. Below are some sites which can give you the answer and then you can decide where the buck stops.
Next article: Where does the buck stop for Canadian Chemical Producers’ Association members?
Gord Miller
Environmental Commissioner
The Hon. Ernie Eves Premier of Ontario Room 281, Main Legislative Building M7A 1A1 Telephone: (416) 325-1941 Fax (416) 325-3745 6195 E-mail: ernie_eves@ontla.ola.org
The Hon. Chris Stockwell Minister of Environment and Energy Hearst Block, 4th Floor, M7A 2E1 Telephone: (416) 327-6715 Fax (416) 327-6754 E-mail: chris_stockwell@ontla.ola.org
Kris Lee is a high school science teacher in Wallaceburg, Ont. She is working hard to bridge the gap between industry and community, with a major goal of reducing harmful effects to the environment. For over 10 years Kris has been an active member of several national industry and government advisory panels.
