<html> <body>   <div align="center">Green On. The Online Newsletter of the Conservation Council of Ontario see <a href="http://www.greenontario.org/" eudora="autourl"> www.greenontario.org</a> for the online version and to subscribe or unsubscribe Editor:  Chris Winter, Executive Director </div> Throne Speech Highlights October 12, 2005   In today’s Speech from the Throne there were numerous references to environmental commitments.  Many old promises were restated and reinforced, such as the commitment to phase out coal plants by 2009. But there were some new commitments as well.   One new commitment is the creation of the Bob Hunter Memorial Park in the Rouge Valley. This is a fitting gesture for a man who was at the heart and forefront of the environmental movement and a founder of Greenpeace.   Bob once said, “conservationists are a pain in the ass, but they make great ancestors”.  He’d probably be the last person to suggest that a hunk of nature should bear the name of a human, but tough.  He deserves to be remembered, and remembered as someone who dedicated his life, and even put his life on the line, to protect nature.  I hope my children’s children will know and appreciate who Bob Hunter was, what he stood for, and how he chose to stand for it.    You’ll further note, tucked away in the speech, a commitment to introduce new measures and new legislation to encourage conservation.  Duly noted, and as the conservation movement in Ontario is gaining momentum, legislative and economic instruments will be a tremendous support. This is also an opportune time to offer our congratulations to the new Minister of Energy, Donna Cansfield, who is well known to us in her role as chair of the provincial Conservation Action Team.  We wish her well with her new responsibilities.   Chris Winter, Executive Director The Conservation Council of Ontario   <div align="center">-------------------- </div>   CONSERVATION, ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY: EXCERPTS FROM THE SPEECH FROM THE THRONE October 12, 2005   Your government is determined to protect Ontarians' health by cleaning up the air they breathe and protecting the water they drink.   It will replace coal-fired electricity generation with cleaner forms of energy, with the last coal-fired plant slated to close in early 2009.   It will protect drinking water by introducing legislation, as recommended by the Walkerton Inquiry, that would protect water at its source.   It will improve the environmental assessment process by making it more transparent and efficient. And because a healthy lifestyle includes activity in the great outdoors, it will introduce legislation that would ensure our precious provincial parks are protected forever, while pursuing our strategy to map and sign 64,000 kilometres of Ontario trails.   To symbolize the value we place on our natural environment ... and the power of people to make a positive difference, your government will be creating a new park in the Rouge Valley -- the Bob Hunter Memorial Park.   To his children and his wife Bobbi, we say: Bob's passionate defence of the environment blazed a trail and left a legacy. It will not be forgotten.   <div align="center">------------------------ </div>   A reliable supply of clean energy at a reasonable cost is absolutely essential to Ontario's prosperity.   We have just 15 years to refurbish, rebuild or replace 25,000 megawatts of electricity supply. In just two years, your government has brought more than 2,200 megawatts on line.   It has advanced new generation projects that will provide us with another 9,000 megawatts over the next five years -- enough power for 4.1 million homes.   And it is on target to meet Ontario's goal of renewable generation accounting for five per cent of our electricity capacity by 2007.   But there is much more to be done.   To ensure the necessary long-term planning takes place, your government has created the new Ontario Power Authority, and it will act on the best, unvarnished advice on what must be done next.   Commodity prices for new generation will no longer be subsidized or capped. Your government has taken the politics out of electricity pricing. The Ontario Energy Board now sets residential prices.   But your government is taking action to ensure Ontario's prices remain competitive -- by achieving a diverse mix of supply, a reliable transmission grid and stability in the energy sector. It will also give Ontarians the tools they need to better manage their costs, including the installation of smart meters in 800,000 homes and businesses by 2007, and every home and business by 2010.   Smart meters -- which tell you what you're paying for electricity at each time during the day -- will allow consumers to gear their energy use to when the price is lower.   Your government will introduce new measures -- and new legislation -- to encourage energy conservation.   We are making these changes in a way that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 megatonnes. This means cleaner air and healthier Ontarians. It represents 10 per cent of Canada’s total Kyoto goal. We expect the federal government to recognize this contribution in their Kyoto plan.   <div align="center">--------------------------------------- </div> The Drive Clean program includes newer vehicles that are passing emission tests more than 99 per cent of the time. Drive Clean will be reformed to end this waste of Ontarians' time and money.   <div align="center">------------------------------------- </div> Your government was the first to provide gas tax funding for Ontario public transit. The proof is now on the streets and rails of Ontario: there are new streetcars, new buses and new levels of service.   </body> </html>