Ontario Greens Deputy Leader and candidate in Parry Sound – Muskoka Matt Richter released a statement in response to the Auditor General’s 2024 annual report regarding the Minister of Natural Resources, Graydon Smith’s failure to comply with the Environmental Bill of Rights.
“It’s deeply troubling that our local representative, Minister Graydon Smith was singled out in 4 of the 6 violations of the Ontario Environmental Bill of Rights,” said Richter.
Smith’s Ministry of Natural Resources led all ministries with the highest number of outdated consultation notices with nearly two thirds of all outdated consultations.
In the Audit of the Environmental Bill of Rights, the Minister’s Office was found to have; ● misrepresented or downplayed the environmental impacts of proposed legislation for partisan political purposes (5.3.1); ● purposefully missed reporting deadlines for investigations (5.2.3, 5.2.4); ● deceived the public about the consultation process and deadlines, and was unable to show how public comments were incorporated into legislation (5.1.1);
‘It gives the perception that the government is either willfully ignorant of the rules, or is intentionally trying to hide information from the people they represent.’ says Richter.
The Auditor General also noted that the Ford government spent over $103 million taxpayer dollars on ads, more than any other government in history and more than 60% of that being deemed partisan spending.
“This shows that the government is more interested in looking out for themselves than they are in looking out for you,” said Richter.
The full Auditor General’s Report can be found at: https://www.auditor.on.ca/en/content/annualreports/arbyyear/ar2024.html
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Like I have to see Graydon’s Conservative ad every morning I open Doppler. Or drive to Huntsville on #11 and see his 25 square foot “billboard” ad cluttering up the roadside here in Muskoka. How many dollars is that costing us Graydon? Put our money where it really counts please.