November 4, 2014

Ms. Eleanor McMahon
Parliamentary Assistant
Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
Suite 6521, Sixth Floor, Whitney Block
99 Wellesley Street West
Toronto ON  M7A 1W3

Dear Eleanor,

It is an honour and a pleasure to have you as my Parliamentary Assistant. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and to outline some of the important work that lies ahead of us.

As you know, our government has a plan to invest in the talent and skills of our people, build modern infrastructure, support a dynamic and innovative business climate, and provide better retirement security to people across the province. At the heart of this plan are partnerships with businesses, people and communities, which will help our government grow the economy, create jobs and implement solutions that have a meaningful impact on people’s lives.

This balanced and comprehensive plan is underpinned by a focus on fiscal prudence. The mandate letter I received last month from Premier Wynne reinforced our government’s commitment to balance the budget by 2017-18 and to pursue increased openness, accountability and modernization.

Parliamentary Assistants play a key role in delivering these priorities and have a responsibility to put our government’s plan into action.

The Premier has laid out seven priority areas for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry in the mandate letter that I received on September 25, 2014: supporting forestry, minimizing the impact of invasive species, guiding land use planning in the Far North, managing aggregates, strengthening biodiversity, protecting wetlands, and implementing the Endangered Species Act.

As Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, your specific responsibilities include:

  • Working alongside me to facilitate a review of Ontario’s broader wetland strategy to strengthen wetland policies with an objective to stop the net loss of wetlands.
  • Engaging with ministries, municipalities and stakeholders to initiate a review of the Conservation Authorities Act, including addressing roles, responsibilities and governance of conservation authorities in resource management and environmental protection.

I am confident that together, working in collaboration with our partners in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, we can deliver on our commitment to the people we are privileged to represent and serve. I look forward to working with you to deliver our ministry’s mandate, build Ontario up — and help achieve a brighter future for every person in this province.

Sincerely,

Bill Mauro signature

The Honourable Bill Mauro
Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry