The Honourable Laurel Broten, MPP for Etobicoke-Lakeshore
Minister of the Environment, Ontario
Laurel Broten was appointed Ontario’s Minister of the Environment in June 2005. First elected to represent the community of Etobicoke-Lakeshore as a Member of Provincial Parliament in October 2003, Laurel also had the honour of serving as Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier prior to her appointment to Cabinet.
Laurel has a track record of strong advocacy in the fight for a vibrant and healthy community.
As Minister of the Environment, Laurel has spearheaded a wide range of important initiatives to protect the province’s air, water and land.
In December 2005, she introduced the Clean Water Act, a groundbreaking piece of legislation that, if passed, would protect Ontario’s drinking water from source to tap with prevention as its cornerstone.
In June 2006, Laurel co-chaired, along with Premier McGuinty, the Shared Air Summit on transboundary air pollution, smog and climate change, which drew legislators, scientists and experts from across North America. Earlier in the year, she filed comments on behalf of the Ontario government with the United States Environmental Protection Agency in an effort to stem the tide of transboundary air pollution emanating from the US Midwest. Laurel has placed strict new caps on air emissions from seven large industrial sectors, and introduced tough new standards for 40 harmful air pollutants.
In July 2006, Laurel proposed new regulations under the Environmental Protection Act and the Environmental Assessment Act that would help municipalities keep more waste out of landfills and support new waste technologies. She also oversaw the implementation of tough standards for the disposal of hazardous waste, which halted the import of untreated toxic waste into Ontario.
Prior to her election to the Ontario Legislature, Laurel maintained a successful practice as a trial lawyer in the areas of equity, commercial and human rights law.
Laurel has a B.A. and B.Sc. from McMaster University and a law degree from the University of Western Ontario. Prior to entering private practice for a large national firm, Laurel, who is fluently bilingual, articled at the Supreme Court of Canada.
Laurel and her husband, Paul, live in south Etobicoke with their twin sons Zachary and Ryan, born in October 2005.
To write to the Minister of the Environment:
The Honourable Laurel C. Broten
Minister of the Environment
12th Floor, 135 St. Clair Avenue West
Toronto, Ontario
M4V 1P5
Email the Minister.
Telephone: (416) 314-6790
Fax: (416) 314-7337
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