The Ontario budget 2000 was announced on May 2nd, and the environment was the loser.
  With a surplus of $654 million in 1999, Finance Minister Ernie Eves gave tax rebates and over $3 billion in financial incentives for economic development and new funding for primary health care. 
 However, the budget failed to provide support for pollution prevention, compact urban design and renewable energy and conservation.  The net result will be greater economic and health care costs in future years resulting from poorly designed economic growth. 
  Under questioning in the House (see Hansard for May 3rd), Environment Minister Dan Newman  defended the budget by pointing to past initiatives such as Drive Clean and the Great Lakes Renewal Foundation. 

See also:
	Ontario Budget 2000: budget papers, speech, news releases and backgrounders.
	David Crane's excellent article in the May 6 Toronto Star, "Queen's Park shouldn't ignore environment"
	Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy Press Release, "2000 Ontario Budget Cuts Environment Funding Again"
	Conservation Council of Ontario press release: "Ontario's Ecological Deficit tops $3Billion"
	the Conservation Council's backgrounder on Ontario's Ecological Deficit

Budget Highlights
	The Ministry of the Environment's budget cut by $16 million
	$1 billion for highways
	$1billion of SuperBuild money for infrastructure
	cutting the Ontario Mining Tax from 20 percent to 10 per cent
	10 year Mining Tax exemption

 The Conservation Council has recommended to the federal government that it undertake a comprehensive review of the food biotechnology industry, covering the social, health, ethical, economic, and environmental aspects.

 The recommendation is in response to a call for comments on the proposed mandate of the Royal Society of Canada's Expert Panel on the Future of Food Biotechnology, which was established at the request of three federal departments.  The Council felt that public confidence in the regulation of genetically modified foods will only be restored through a broad-based and public review.  The Expert Panel's mandate and membership, we found, was too narrow to achieve this task: 

"Without critical, balanced, and complete analysis of all food biotechnology issues, the resulting report will contribute little to the resolution of one of the most important and far-reaching challenges facing Canadians and our governments."

See the CCO Publications page for copies of the letter and Comments on the Royal Society's Expert Panel.

  On a more positive note, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has intervened in the OMB hearing on the future of the Oak Ridges Moraine by submitting a seven page brief and a map to the hearings on five development applications in Richmond Hill. The map shows a swath up to 2 kilometres wide running along the moraine, a vast improvement over the 600 metres that was originally proposed.
  Details can be found in the Toronto Star story of May 5, "Province Joins Moraine 'No' Forces".  The report is not yet available on the internet, but the Minister's office says they are considering posting it on their site. 

  While the Ministry's step is a welcome action, critics point out there's still a long way to go:  

• The OMB still has to rule on the development proposals
• the maps only deal with the Richmond Hill area, about 1% of the Moraine area
• there is still no plan or legislation to protect the entire moraine from improper development.

  Clearly, there's still much work to be done in protecting the moraine!

See also:
	Liberal Municipal Affairs critic, Mike Colle's reaction, "Moraine Not Saved".
	the Conservation Council's March 26 motion calling for provincial action on the Moraine.
	the Green Ontario factsheet on Urban Sprawl

  The Ministry of the Environment has set up a web site to report on air quality across Ontario: www.airqualityontario.com. The site provides current and three-day forecasts of air quality across Ontario.
  The ministry has introduced mandatory tracking and reporting of all harmful air emissions by industrial and commercial emitters; and tough new emissions limits for smog and acid rain-causing pollutants. 
  The new actions are part of what the ministry calls its new strategic action on air pollution:

1. Regulation Requiring Emission Reporting for Electricity Generators and Announcement of the Intention to Mandate Emission Reporting for All Industrial/Commercial/Municipal Sectors;
2. Emission Limits for Ontario's Electricity Generators and Other Major Sources; 
3. Regulation to apply environmental assessment (EA) requirements to electricity sector projects in the new competitive electricity market. 

  Smog is one of the priorities for the Ministry of the Environment, however its action plan remains unclear.  The best source of information on ministry initiatives is in their press releases.  The web site does not yet link the various initiatives into an air quality section.  Further, little effort is being made to rationalize the government's air quality initiatives with the subsidies and emphasis on highways and urban sprawl in other ministries.  

For more information on Smog, check our factsheet for information and links.

The Jantzi Social Index
  Here's an interesting development in ethical investing. In February 2000, Michael Jantzi Research Associates (MJRA) launched the Jantzi Social Index (JSI), a socially screened, market capitalization-weighted common stock index modeled on the S&P/TSE 60. 
  The JSI consists of 60 Canadian companies that pass a set of broadly-based social and environmental screens. The JSI has begun to generate the first definitive data on the effects of social screening on financial performance in Canada.