Staff changes have been announced at the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. Greg Sones is leaving the Waste Management Policy Branch and going back to enforcement. Wendy Ren will be acting director of Waste Management Policy Branch, whose Bill 91 (Waste Reduction Act) died on the order paper when the election was called. Maurice Bitran the Assistant Deputy Minister is going off to run the Science Centre.

The official notice states:

"Greg Sones becomes the Director of the Sector Compliance Branch, OD. Since becoming the Director of Waste Management Policy Branch in 2011, Greg has led transitioning Waste Diversion Ontario's Board to a skills-based board; implementing cost recovery initiatives to ensure the financial sustainability of Ontario's waste diversion programs; introducing a new regulation to address the end of life management of consumer waste pharmaceuticals and sharps; and working with Central Region, WDO and OTS, addressing the successful clean-up of used tire legacy sites. Under Greg's leadership Waste Management Policy Branch also obtained approval for regulatory changes that have enabled implementation of the new compost framework and changes that reduced the regulatory burden on the vehicle manufacturing sector. More recently, Waste Management Policy Branch launched a comprehensive review of the Industrial, Commercial and Institutional Regulations; and supported the introduction in June 2013 of Bill 91, the Waste Reduction Act and draft Waste Reduction Strategy, including extensive stakeholder consultations.

Throughout his tenure in the Branch, Greg has provided strong strategic advice, leadership and support to the ADM, Deputy and Minister in engaging stakeholders and managing a complex set of policy issues related to waste management in Ontario.

Wendy Ren will take on the role of acting Director, Waste Management Policy Branch. Since 2013, Wendy has been acting as the Assistant Director, Waste Management Policy Branch."

Congratulations to each of them, and best wishes

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