Waterkeeper fights for spills bill
Industry lobbyists threaten key environmental legislation
(Toronto) - Waterkeeper appears before an Ontario government committee today in a last-ditch effort to save a powerful piece of environmental legislation.
"There are 100 spills every day in Ontario. Bill 133 is a turning point in the battle to win back our lakes and rivers," say Waterkeeper and environmental lawyer, Mark Mattson.
Bill 133, the Environmental Enforcement Statute Law Amendment Act, will create a code of conduct for industries operating in Ontario. The code of conduct will require facilities that spill into public waterways to pay into a provincial fund that compensates downstream communities.
The code of conduct is under attack by industry lobbyists.
?These special interests want to protect the status quo. They want to be able to continue spilling into public waterways with impunity,? says Mattson.
According to the Ministry of Environment, the status quo is some 40,000 spill incidents each year in Ontario.
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Backgrounder:
Waterkeeper's submission to the Standing Committee
Contact:
Mark Mattson
President & Waterkeeper
416.861.1237