Published by Communications and Public Affairs (519) 824-4120, Ext. 56982 or 53338
News Release
September 10, 2004
U of G hosts lecture by Ontario’s environmental commissioner
The University of Guelph is hosting a lecture by Ontario’s environmental commissioner Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. in the OVC Lifetime Learning Centre. The event is free and open to the public.
Gord Miller, a U of G graduate, will speak on “Patterns in Landscape Planning: Protecting Ontario’s Environmental Values.” He will discuss environmental protection in Ontario, particularly how the public has become more involved in formulating environmental policy since the provincial government introduced its Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR) in 1994.
The EBR recognizes the province’s primary responsibility for protecting, conserving and restoring the natural environment. The bill of rights ensures public involvement in environmental policy-setting, such as a law intended to protect the environmentally sensitive Oak Ridges Moraine north of Toronto, said Miller.
“The Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act ended in a fairly successful new piece of legislation that governs landscape planning,” he said. “That evolved through people using the Environmental Bill of Rights.” Miller added that no other jurisdiction in the world has such a comprehensive environmental bill of rights.
The provincial environmental commissioner position was established 10 years ago to monitor compliance by provincial ministries with the EBR. Miller was an environmental consultant before being appointed commissioner in 2000.
Miller completed a bachelor’s degree in biology at Guelph in 1976 and a master’s in plant ecology in 1978. “Being a biologist and an ecologist gives me that fundamental understanding and background to understand the nature of environmental disputes.”
His lecture is the first in a series of lectures sponsored by the College of Biological Science Alumni Association.
For more information, contact Susan Rankin, (519) 824-4120, Ext. 56183.
For media questions, contact Communications and Public Affairs: Lori Bona Hunt (519) 824-4120, Ext. 53338, or Rachelle Cooper, Ext. 56982.
