CIAC Board of Directors welcome Ontario officials

In Toronto on February 21, as part of CIAC’s first board meeting for 2019 and the first board meeting held in Toronto in more than 10 years, members welcomed a keynote address by the Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, Todd Smith.

Minister Smith spoke of the steps he and his government are taking to reduce and eliminate provincial regulations which are costly to business and government but provide no measurable benefit to citizens, the environment, or the economy.

CIAC and its members strongly endorse Bill 66 – Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, 2019 – which includes the repeal of the Toxics Reduction Act. The federal Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 and the complementary Chemicals Management Plan in 2006 positioned Canada as a world leader in the management of toxic substances making the provincial legislation redundant. CIAC’s board were also pleased to welcome several representatives from the ridings where members’ facilities operate.

Left to right: Marcelo Lu, President, BASF Canada and Chair, CIAC Board of Directors; President of ERCO Worldwide and Vice-Chair, CIAC Board of Directors, Ed Bechberger; Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, Andrea Khanhjin, MPP for Barrie-Innisfil; Executive Vice President, CIAC, Isabelle Des Chênes, President and CEO, CIAC, Bob Masterson.

Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, Andrea Khanhjin, MPP for Barrie-Innisfil, also spoke to the Board about Ontario’s Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan and recent measures to reduce duplicate or outdated regulatory burdens while protecting our health and environment.

(Photo 2) Left to right: President and CEO, CIAC, Bob Masterson; MPP for Mississauga-Streetsville, Nina Tangri; MPP for Sarnia-Lambton, Bob Bailey; Hon., Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, Todd Smith; President, BASF Canada and Chair, CIAC Board of Directors, Marcelo Lu; MPP for London North Centre, Terence Kernaghan.

The day before the board meeting, February 20, CIAC held its Ontario Advocacy Day. Officials who addressed the board included: Deputy Minister, Red Tape and Regulatory Burden Reduction, Cabinet Office, Giles Gherson; Deputy Minister, Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, Serge Imbrogno; Assistant Deputy Minister, Climate Change and Resiliency Division, Alex Wood; Deputy Minister, Ministry of Finance Greg Orencsak;, Assistant Deputy Minister, Office of Economic Policy and Chief Economist Brian Lewis; Assistant Deputy Minister, Taxation Policy Division, Sriram Subrahmanyan.