Finding a Vision:Overview
| In December 2009, the ECO released its second annual review of the progress made by the Ontario government in achieving its GHG emission reduction targets. Click here for more information on this report, including videos and communications materials. | ||||
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What the Environmental Bill of Rights, 1993 Requires
On May 14, 2009, the Green Energy and Green Economy Act, 2009 (GEGEA) came into force. Broad in scope, the GEGEA made significant legislative amendments in an effort to shift the province towards a ‘greener’ energy path. Included among the amendments, and of central relevance for this report, was the expanded mandate given to the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO) under the Environmental Bill of Rights, 1993 (EBR). In particular, a new section 58.2 of the EBR requires that the ECO report annually to the Speaker of the Assembly on the progress of activities in Ontario to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Pursuant to section 58.2 (2), the report by the ECO “shall include a review of any annual report on greenhouse gas reductions or climate change published by the Government of Ontario” in the year covered by the ECO report.
This report represents the first review by the ECO of the government’s progress in addressing climate change pursuant to the requirement created by the GEGEA. This is not, however the first time that the ECO has reported on the government’s GHG mitigation efforts. In December 2008, the ECO released a Special Report to the Legislative Assembly reviewing the government’s progress in reducing GHG emissions. The Special Report was not required by legislation, but was called for by Go Green: Ontario’s Action Plan on Climate Change (“Action Plan”) which was announced in August 2007.
How the ECO has Interpreted our EBR Mandate By amending the EBR, the GEGEA gave the ECO a very broad mandate with regard to reporting on Ontario’s annual progress towards GHG emission reductions. While the ECO is required to review any annual reports produced by the government, we also interpret our mandate to include obtaining information from other sources in order to develop a holistic overview of provincial progress in this area. Fundamentally, the mandate of the ECO is to monitor the government’s progress on efforts to both mitigate – and adapt to – climate change. Reviewing and providing an assessment as to how well the government is conducting its reporting will be a part, but not the exclusive focus, of our annual reviews.
Each year a significant portion of our attention will focus on the government’s overall performance. In particular, the ECO will focus on the short and medium-term targets that were established by the government in its 2007 Action Plan and assess annual progress made towards each of these. In assessing performance, the ECO will examine cross-cutting issues such as the modelling and accounting practices underlying the province’s claimed and forecasted GHG emissions.
As well, the ECO will also analyze and report on the performance of key individual initiatives that are outlined in the Action Plan and are reported on in future annual reports.
About this Review
Objectives
Our overall objective within this report is to review the progress made by the Ontario government in fiscal year 2008 - 2009 towards ensuring the province can achieve its GHG emission reduction targets. In particular, the ECO’s objective is to determine whether the initiatives that the government has established to date put it on track to achieve its short- and medium-term emission reduction targets. The government’s targets are to reduce GHG emissions by 6 per cent from 1990 levels by 2014 and 15 per cent by 2020. In 1990, Ontario’s greenhouse gas emissions were 175 Mt, which means that Ontario’s target for 2014 is to reduce GHG emissions to 165 Mt and the 2020 target is to reduce GHG emissions to 149 Mt.
A further ECO objective is to review the governance processes that have been established to track GHG emission reductions, as well as to understand how roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities have been established to ensure the government can achieve its climate change objectives.
Review criteria
The ECO expected that the Ontario government would show real and forecasted GHG reductions for each of the key GHG emission reduction initiatives it is pursuing for the years 2008 to 2014. This is fundamental in order to assess whether Ontario is on track to meet its 2014 and 2020 targets.
We expected that the government would be transparent in describing the modelling assumptions used in its forecasts of GHG reductions while providing third-party assurance as to the veracity of the modelling.
We expected that the government would demonstrate that it has the management systems and the capacity to monitor and report on the performance of the key measures contained within its Action Plan with regard to forecasted emission reductions.
We expected that the government would establish clear roles, responsibilities and accountabilities for: 1) implementing each of the identified measures; and 2) achieving the forecasted reductions.
- Next section: The Context for Action
Citing This Article:
Environmental Commissioner of Ontario. 2009. Annual Greenhouse Gas Progress Report 2008/2009: Finding a Vision for Change. Toronto, ON : Environmental Commissioner of Ontario. pp. 6-8
