By Steve Galea
originally posted oodmag.com
The responsibilities of the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario will be transferred to the Auditor General of Ontario and the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, if Bill 57, the Restoring Trust, Transparency and Accountability Act, 2018, is passed as written.
The Bill was introduced at Queen’s Park on Nov. 15 by Ontario’s Conservative government. It proposes, among other things, to transfer ECO staff to the Auditor General. It will also assign the Auditor General the duty of appointing a Commissioner of the Environment from employees of the Office of the Auditor General. The Commissioner of the Environment may, subject to the direction of the Auditor General, exercise the powers and perform the duties and functions of the Auditor General under the Act.
The Bill has passed second reading and has been referred to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs.
Michael Zupanic, communications and outreach coordinator for the ECO, said, “The bill has not yet passed. If and when the bill passes, our office will be consulting with the Speaker to understand when and how these changes will take effect.”
“The OFAH strongly supports environmental oversight,” said Angelo Lombardo, executive director of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. “However, in saying that, we need environmental oversight that respects and represents the interests of all Ontarians, including the millions of anglers, hunters, and trappers. We’ve had concerns with this office and its positions in the past, and it’s
