Ontario, Hebei join forces to deal with pollution problems

The Canadian province of Ontario is teaming up with China's Hebei province to win the battle against pollution.

The Canada China Trade Innovation Alliance and Hebei Environmental Protection Federation began signing a series of agreements at a Canada China Innovation, Experts and Technology Forum held in Toronto, capital of the province in late November.

Among them, Hebei Bei Ke Ruiming Environmental Engineering Co and Canada Lehder Environmental Services Ltd will work on air quality testing and urban waste recycling. Hebei Tianyou Environmental Engineering Co and Canada Futurevic Global Sourcing Inc will cooperate on water pollution control and atmospheric management.

Other arrangements include environmental impact assessment, auditing, supervision and management of construction projects.

"The collaboration between Ontario and Hebei provides many opportunities for enterprises and experts to exchange ideas," said Wang Liang, head of the Hebei provincial department of human resources and social security.

He led a Chinese delegation of representatives from clean-tech companies to attend the forum.

Hebei, one of heavily polluted provinces of northern China, has launched a campaign to make officials responsible for enforcing environmental policies that combat pollution.

The province has formed a coalition with foreign air pollution experts to advise on the transition to cleaner technologies.

Experts from the University of Toronto, University of Western Ontario, University of Waterloo, University of Ottawa and York University, who conduct research in the fields of environmental protection, science and technology and medical care, shared state-of-the-art technologies.

Their discussions related to environmental pollution testing, alternative energy sources, water pollution, soil management and air quality testing and treatment.

"I believe that Hebei province and Ontario will achieve great things in the fields of science and technology, nurturing skilled workers and innovation," Wang said.

Michael Chan, Ontario's minister of international trade, said that as the province's second-largest single-nation trading partner, China is an important market for trade, as well as science and technology collaboration.

"We have great industries to cooperate with, especially in the environmental protection, technology and biomedical sectors in Ontario," Chan said.

He Wei, China's consul general in Toronto, offered his congratulations on the cooperation in science, technology and environmental protection between the two sides.

Canada has a long-standing and successful history of cooperation with China on environment issues of mutual interest dating back to the mid-1980s.

renali@chinadailyusa.com