Environmental Commissioner of Ontario
| Commissaire à l’environnement de l’Ontario | |
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| Agency overview | |
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| Formed | 1994 |
| Headquarters | 1075 Bay Street, Suite 605 Toronto, Ontario |
| Agency executive |
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| Website | eco |
The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO; French: Commissaire à l’environnement de l’Ontario) is an officer of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. As such, the Commissioner does not report to any Ministry, but rather to the Legislature itself. The Commissioner is selected via recommendation by an all-party committee, chaired by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. The candidate is appointed by unanimous vote of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
The Commissioner is appointed by the government, on the advice of the Legislature, for a term of five years, and must swear to "faithfully and impartially exercise the functions of the office," which is to uphold and protect the province's Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR). The Commissioner heads an office of 24 staff, who support the Commissioner in overseeing the administration of the EBR and producing reports to the Legislature.
The intent of the EBR is to give Ontarians rights to participate in environmental decision-making, and to hold ministries accountable for their decisions as they affect the environment. The EBR also established the Environmental Registry, an online database where ministries post environmentally significant proposals and decisions for public notice and comment.
In 2009, the EBR was amended to give the ECO the responsibility to report annually on Ontario's progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and on conserving energy.
The ECO issues several reports each year.
Every year, the office releases an Environmental Protection report that covers ministry compliance with the Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR), and environmental protection issues related to ministries prescribed under the EBR. Up until 2016, this report was simply called the Annual Report, and was accompanied by a Supplement. The Supplement contained reviews of each application submitted under the "EBR", and of ministries' use of the Environmental Registry. The Annual Report contained articles that elaborated on selected pieces from the Supplement, and articles about developing or significant issues of interest to the ECO.
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