The Conservative government's environmental slash and burn approach has not been confined to ministry programs. The MOEE is losing 31 percent of current employees while the MNR is giving pink slips to 40 percent of its staff. Even if these ministries continue to set nominal standards, their capacity to ensure compliance will be severely diminished if not eliminated. The above examples of environmental deregulation represent only a sampling of the many changes that have been already made, but unfortunately the worst may be yet to come. The Red Tape Review Commission is mandated to review all of the province's regulations by the end of 1996.
Environmental regulations are a major target of the commission's work.
If current trends prevail, the province's future environmental protection functions may resemble a permitting regime for direct discharges of pollutants to air and water. The long-term consequences of this direction for the health of the Great Lakes and surrounding ecosystems are likely to be serious and, in many cases, irreversible.