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The Ontario Government is hoping for quick action on four important proposed environmental bills currently stalled on the order paper.  Given the instability of the current minority Government, there may only be a small window of opportunity to pass these proposed statutes before a provincial election is called (or forced):

• Bill 6, the Great Lakes Protection Act, will establish a new Great Lakes Guardians’ Council and require “public bodies” to undertake certain initiatives to protect and restore the ecological health of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin
• Bill 83, the Protection of Public Participation Act, will create a fast track judicial process for identifying and dismissing “strategic lawsuits against public participation” ( SLAPPs)
• Bill 91, the Waste Reduction Act, will replace the current act with one based on “individual producer responsibility” and a revamped Blue Box funding formula
• Bill 138, the Ending Coal for Cleaner Air Act, will add Part VI.1 to the Environmental Protection Act to prohibit the use of coal to generate electricity at certain specified facilities after December 31, 2014.

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