Industry-provincial partnership to examine barriers to growth and highlight opportunities for Ontario's environment companies

TORONTO - The Ontario Environment Industry Association (ONEIA) today announced the launch of a joint study with the provincial government to encourage the growth of Ontario's environment companies. The initiative was announced at a breakfast meeting of senior environment industry executives featuring a keynote address from the Honourable John Gerretsen, Ontario Minister of the Environment.

The study, conducted for ONEIA by Deloitte Consulting, will examine such issues as regulation, financing and access to capital, education and skills, research and development, sales and marketing, and import/export opportunities. Hundreds of environment-related businesses across the province are expected to participate, including those in the fields of alternative energy, waste management/recycling, water treatment, air quality and brownfields remediation and redevelopment. The final report will be released at Environment Industry Day at Queen's Park on April 29, 2009.

"We know the economies of the future will be lean and green and we want to position Ontario at the forefront of this shift," said Alex Gill, Executive Director of ONEIA. "We have a great opportunity here to bring environmental firms together, identify their issues and work with the province to foster increased innovation and growth."

Ontario's environment industry is made up of more than 2,700 firms across the province that already employ more than 60,000 people. The world market for goods, services and technology they produce is expected to grow strongly in coming years, making it imperative that Ontario's industry be ideally-positioned to capitalize on this growing world demand. The ONEIA-Deloitte study is a partnership with the Ontario Ministries of Environment, Economic Development, and Research and Innovation and the Ontario Centres of Excellence.

"The McGuinty government is committed to making Ontario a world leader in green industry," said Minister Gerretsen. "We are pleased to partner with ONEIA on this important initiative which will help ensure the province is well positioned to meet its environmental and economic objectives."

ONEIA is the business association for Ontario's environment industry. The Association's members include environmental product, service and technology companies, research institutes, universities and governments. Through their innovation and experience in Ontario and around the world, ONEIA's members provide market-driven solutions for society's pressing environmental problems.