FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 30, 2010
Ontario Environment Commissioner to Moderate Mayoral Debate on Environment
TORONTO - Mr. Gord Miller, Ontario’s Environment Commissioner, will moderate a mayoral debate on the environment on Thursday, September 23, 2010. The debate is being organized by the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA).
“We’re very glad Mr. Gord Miller, Ontario’s Environment Commissioner, has agreed to moderate the debate,” said Franz Hartmann, Executive Director of the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA). “I have no doubt he will draw out the best of the mayoral candidates and help make it clear which candidates are serious about building on Toronto’s many environmental successes.”
The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO) is the province's independent environmental watchdog, appointed by the Legislative Assembly. For more information on the role of the ECO, see www.eco.on.ca.
“For over 10 years, Torontonians have been working hard to solve environmental problems facing the city,” said Hartmann. “They expect a Mayor who will build on this decade of success and work with Torontonians from every corner of the city. This debate will be an important tool for Torontonians to see what the candidates have to say about the environment.”
The top five mayoral candidates (Mr. Ford, Mr. Pantalone, Mr. Smitherman, Ms. Thomson and Mr. Rossi) have confirmed attendance.
The debate will take place at the Church of St. Simon-the-Apostle at 525 Bloor Street East starting at 7:00 pm, Thursday, September 23rd.
The public is invited to attend the debate. Tickets to the debate are free and available online at www.torontoenvironment.org/voteto/debate.
Since February, TEA has been actively promoting 6 priority environmental actions. The priorities were developed in conjunction with 11 other local, provincial and national environmental groups, and have been endorsed by over 40 local environmental and community organizations from across the city. These priority actions include: building and funding Transit City, achieving 70% waste diversion, buying locally produced green products, building complete streets, implementing the city's sustainable energy plan, and providing tools to prevent pollution (for details on priority actions visit www.torontoenvironment.org/voteto).
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For more information, contact: Franz Hartmann, Executive Director, Cell: 416-606-8881