Whose job should environmental conservation and protection be?
As spring comes to life with leaves on trees, wildflowers in bloom, and as many of us spend more time outdoors in nature, that question comes to mind. Local environmental concerns also raise the question.
In Ontario, there are local conservation authorities for protecting water and land resources in many regions. These are provincially-regulated agencies mostly funded with municipal tax dollars and some provincial funding. There is the logically named Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks which enforces environmental protection regulations, oversees water resource management, and the provincial park system. Ontario also has the Ministry of Natural Resources, which in addition to regulating mining and forestry, is also responsible for fish and wildlife conservation. On top of that, regional and municipal governments have also adopted a myriad of local environmental bylaws ranging from limits on idling vehicle engines to lawn watering restrictions.
Québec does not have local conservation authorities, but it does have a ministry of the environment responsible for environmental protection, and a ministry of natural resources which oversees mining, forestry, and wildlife conservation. Québec’s transportation ministry also has the added mandate of sustainable mobility, which is a bureaucratic way of saying transportation that doesn’t run on fossil fuels. And, like in Ontario, regional and municipal governments in Québec also have a series of local environmental regulations.
On top of the provincial level, add in the federal government where departments ranging from Environment and Climate Change, Natural Resources, and Fisheries and Oceans all have a role in environmental conservation and protection. One could also add the departments of Finance and Revenue since both are responsible for collecting the carbon tax and allocating its contribution to the federal treasury. One could also argue that the carbon tax is only about increasing tax revenue and not a true deterrent to carbon dioxide emissions, but that is a debate for another time.
Locally, residents and environmental activists are concerned about a possible gas station being constructed in East Hawkesbury. Based on their concerns over woods, water, emissions, and protected land, the municipality, two provincial ministries, and two federal departments are potentially involved with this situation. With those levels of bureaucracy, the residents and activists could be waiting a long time before their concerns are addressed administratively, and the developers could be waiting even longer before their suspected gas pumps are providing fuel.
Does it make sense to have so many agencies at multiple levels responsible for the environment? Governments, with input from citizens, business, and environmental organizations should evaluate at which level and which agencies do the job of environmental conservation and protection best. The outcome could lead to a more coherent way of addressing environmental concerns for citizens and activists, and it could make it much easier for business. The biggest obstacle to this exercise is of course political will. Someone will have to concede responsibilities, and that is not always easy for some bureaucrats and politicians to accept.
