Perth-Wellington MPP John Wilkinson has a new job title – environment minister.
The former minister of revenue was appointed to the position on Wednesday in a cabinet shuffle by Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty.
“I was delighted to say yes,” Wilkinson told The Banner by phone from Ottawa.
“You’re always surprised,” he said, when a new position comes up. “I was gratified that (McGuinty) spoke very positively of the work I did as the minister of revenue.”
He said McGuinty has been called the “greenest premier” in Canada for a number of reasons, including his initiative to eliminate the use of coal, the Clean Water Act and efforts to protect the boreal forest.
It now “falls to me to keep making progress on all those fronts,” said Wilkinson.
He explained the main objective of his new position is to protect our air, land and water not only for residents today, but also for future generations.
Wilkinson said his first order of business is to become briefed on his new files and tackle the issue of eco fees.
A little over a month ago, the government decided to review eco fees due to citizens’ concerns, Wilkinson said. He plans to have a solution in less than 60 days and help determine “the right way forward,” he said.
“We need to keep hazardous waste out of our landfills,” he said. This is directly connected to other concerns, such as hazardous waste leaching into the ground and water and related costs, which fall on the taxpayers.
News of Wilkinson’s appointment is adding fuel to opposition parties’ stance that the local MPP is a prime candidate to help the Ontario government bring in a new eco-tax.
“John Wilkinson was rewarded for ramming through the HST tax grab by being given the opportunity to ram through the eco-tax,” said Ontario PC leader Tim Hudak in a release. “There can be no doubt that, with Dalton McGuinty’s chief HST salesman now serving as Environment Minister, the eco-tax will soon be coming back.”
“Some (people), including my critics, think it’s acceptable for hazardous waste to go into landfills,” Wilkinson responded. “It is absolutely not acceptable.”
When a landfill fills up, taxpayers pay the cost of new landfills through their property taxes, as well as costs associated with leaching.
He said he’ll use “his best judgement” to work with his colleagues and the premier to advise them on the best ways to protect Ontario’s resources.
The latest is one of several shuffles by McGuinty since he’s been in office.
“As we come out of the recession, (McGuinty) has had a little more time to . . . make sure we’re providing the best government possible,” said Wilkinson. “He asks all of us to play a special role.”
Wilkinson said even as minister of the environment, his “number-one job is and always will be to be the best MPP for Perth-Wellington.”
“The premier understands you can’t be a minister without being an MPP,” he said. “And my constituency understands that as minister, sometimes it takes a little longer for me to get back to them.”
He said he appreciates his staff and his constituency for their support.