Green procurement is a golden opportunity to boost Ontario’s economy while also protecting our environment, said Ted McMeekin, Minister of Government Services, at a conference of Ontario’s most promising green technology companies.
Speaking at the Greening Greater Toronto marketplace, McMeekin reminded the group of top procurement executives that Going Green “is crucial to a healthy planet and to ensuring a better world for our children and their children.
“Going Green, we know with our hearts, is going to make this great city and our wonderful province the best place in the country to live and work and do business.”
McMeekin thanked conference organizers for giving progressive-mined business people an opportunity to show how they can build a better Ontario by reducing our carbon footprint and cleaning up the environment.
He also praised the entrepreneurs for “creating jobs today for a greener economy tomorrow.”
“You are the visionaries who will step forward with brilliant ideas on environmental improvements. You are the entrepreneurs will help lead us back to prosperity with your innovations and green technology.”
The Ministry of Government Services has created the Green Office of the Ontario Public service, which will ensure that all ministries work together to reduce the impact of government operations on the environment.
McMeekin said his ministry will lead by example through environmentally-friendly purchasing practices, clean technology and sustainable development. The benefits to Ontario families will be economical as well as environmental.
“The economic challenges we face now are daunting, but they are not incurable,” said McMeekin. “Your expertise and your innovations will help us persevere. And with government support, Ontario and Toronto will prosper. Not only will we be stronger, we will also be greener and cleaner.”
The Greening Greater Toronto event gathered over 100 of Ontario’s top companies, representing over $50 billion of purchasing power at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
The project is the joint collaboration of the Toronto City Summit Alliance’s Greening Greater Toronto initiative and the Toronto Region Research Alliance, and is being featured as part of the Ontario Centre of Excellence Discovery ’09 conference.
