Chapter 13: Environment and Natural Resources
Need for Transformation
Most responsibility for protecting the province's
environmental and natural heritage falls to two ministries: the
Ministry of the Environment (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.1
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.
