For Release: February 20, 2006

Government Of Ontario To Protect Environment With Progressive

New Agricultural Standards
New committee to develop nutrient management
standards for all Ontario farms

TORONTO - The provincial government is protecting the environment by establishing the Nutrient Management Science-Based Standards Committee to develop measures that will build on nutrient management principles, protect drinking water, and not place undue burden on the agriculture industry Environment Minister Laurel Broten and Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Leona Dombrowsky announced today.

"Protecting Ontarians' health and their environment are our top priorities," said Broten. "The Nutrient Management Science-Based Standards Committee will help develop progressive, science-based agricultural benchmarks that are consistent with the government's commitment to safe drinking water."

The committee will be chaired by Dr. K. Bruce MacDonald, an environmental consultant and former head of the Ontario Land Resource Unit and the Canada Soil Information System and Land Evaluation Branch at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and a former member of the Source Protection Technical Expert Committee.

With six independent experts drawn from diverse fields that include agriculture, hydrogeology, land use planning, risk management and risk assessment, the committee will make recommendations to the environment and agriculture ministers on science-based nutrient management standards and best management practices that could apply to farms based on risk by 2008. The committee will address recommendations for regulatory requirements for agricultural activities that generate impacts on water.

"This government is committed to ensuring a healthy environment and a competitive agriculture industry," Dombrowsky said. "We believe that this committee's science-based approach will help us work with our agricultural partners to ensure a healthy Ontario for the present and the future."

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Contacts:
Anne O'Hagan
Minister's Office
Ministry of the Environment
(416) 325-5809

John Steele
Ministry of the Environment
(416) 314-6666

Christopher Flavelle
Minister's Office
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
(416) 326-3072

Charles Lalonde
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
Environmental Policy and Programs Branch
(519) 826-3577

MEMBERS OF THE NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT SCIENCE-BASED
STANDARDS COMMITTEE

Dr. K. Bruce MacDonald (Chair)
Dr. MacDonald is the director and principal consultant for K. Bruce MacDonald, Consulting. A former head of the Ontario Land Resource Unit and Canada Soil Information System and Land Evaluation Branch at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, he has spent his entire career working on activities related to environmentally sustainable land use and management. A former member of the Source Protection Technical Expert Committee, Dr. MacDonald has over 30 years of experience in research and analysis of agronomic practices and land resource management with university, industry, landowners, and federal, provincial and municipal government agencies.

Bob Bedggood
Mr. Bedggood operates a cash crop farm in London and has been the chair for the Agricultural Adaptation Council since 2003 and an executive member since 1999. He is also a member of the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario, the Agricultural Policy Framework Advisory Committee on the Environment and the Odyssey Group and brings practical agricultural experience and government advisory committee experience to the group.

Dr. Peter Dillon
Dr. Dillon is a professor in the department of Environmental and Resource Studies at Trent University and is a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Industrial Research Chair in Watershed Biogeochemistry. He brings technical expertise in phosphorous modeling, in geochemical cycling of pollutants and in identifying stressors (including nutrients) on freshwater ecosystems to the committee.

Greg Hannam
Mr. Hannam is a producer of seed grain and is a Provincial Nutrient Management Advisory Committee member. An agricultural representative on the Premier's Agricultural task force and past Chair of AgCare (Agricultural Groups Concerned About Resources and the Environment), he provides industry insight and government advisory committee experience to the team.

Dr. David Rudolph
Dr. Rudolph is a professor in the department of Earth Sciences at the University of Waterloo. A former member of Source Protection Technical Expert committee and Provincial Nutrient Management Advisory Committee member, he brings comprehensive expertise in groundwater resource management and the protection of regional aquifers to the panel.

Tracey Ryan
Ms. Ryan is supervisor of Conservation Services with the Grand River Conservation Authority. She has coordinated the development and delivery of the Rural Water Quality Program since its inception in 1997 and has vast experience providing assistance to farm families and rural landowners, helping them to protect and improve water quality on their properties.

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Contacts:
Anne O'Hagan
Minister's Office
Ministry of the Environment
(416) 325-5809

John Steele
Ministry of the Environment
(416) 314-6666

Christopher Flavelle
Minister's Office
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
(416) 326-3072

Charles Lalonde
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
Environmental Policy and Programs Branch
(519) 826-3577