The environmental commissioner, whose job was eliminated when the political climate changed at Queen’s Park, warns Ontario is not doing enough to conserve energy and curb greenhouse gas emissions.

In her final report to the legislature, Dianne Saxe on Wednesday blasted Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government for “very inadequate” climate change plans that leave her “very frightened.”

“As climate change gathers speed, conserving energy must mean burning fewer fossil fuels,” Saxe told reporters at Queen’s Park as she tabled her 175-page report.

“Ontario is 75 per cent dependent on imported fossil fuels like gasoline, diesel and natural gas. This dependence is bad for our economy, for our climate and for our health,” she said.

Saxe criticized the Tories for ending wind-power contracts and conservation programs that could jeopardize Canada meeting its international greenhouse gas reduction targets as set out in the 2016 Paris climate change accord.

“If the world can’t hold it together on the Paris agreement, we are toasted, roasted and grilled,” she said.

But Environment Minister Rod Phillips said Ontario will meet its targets.

“We’ve produced a plan that gets us to a 30 per cent reduction (in greenhouse gas emissions), which is the target that was set by the federal government. The target was agreed to internationally,” said Phillips.

The environment watchdog’s position was scrapped — along with those of the provincial children’s advocate and the French-language rights commissioner — as part of Ford’s cuts in last November’s fall economic statement. Twelve people lost their jobs, including Saxe.

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Going forward, the auditor general’s office will handle environmental matters.

“This is a proud but sad day,” said Saxe.

“On Monday, my office will be eliminated. The auditor general may, if she chooses, carry on part of my work from her own point of view,” she said. “In light of her very different expertise, experience, and interests, I wish her well. Her job is to track money. My job is to put the environment first.”

Saxe added that “the auditor general and I do not have consistent views on climate.”

“We don’t agree on climate science or climate policy. I could not find common ground with her,” she said.

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While auditor general Bonnie Lysyk’s past reports suggest her focus is more on value-for-money audits than environmental programs, she expressed surprise at Saxe’s comments.

“We’ve never talked about the sciences and technical views so I’m not sure where that’s all coming from,” said Lysyk, conceding she will have a different function as an environmental overseer.

“One difference between our offices will be on the issue of commenting on government policy. Under our legislation, we don’t comment on government policy,” she said.

In her 2016 annual report, Lysyk demanded estimated cap-and-trade costs be prominently displayed on monthly natural gas bills, even though the government at the time had said it would average out to $5 a month.

Unusually for an independent officer of the legislature, the auditor even commissioned a public-opinion poll to see if Ontarians wanted to be reminded of such a charge.

Lysyk also wanted the Ontario Energy Board, an arm’s length regulator, to reverse its decision that such disclosure was unnecessary.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said Saxe’s final report is a “damning” indictment of the Tories.

“That’s exactly why this government is getting rid of the environmental commissioner — because they don’t want to hear what it takes ... to meet greenhouse gas emission reduction targets,” said Horwath.

Since being elected last June, Ford’s government has extricated Ontario from its cap-and-trade climate change alliance with Quebec and California, which put a price on carbon.

That brought in $1.9 billion annually to the provincial treasury for environmental programs such as subsidies of electric cars.

But Ford, who had campaigned against what he called a “job-killing carbon tax,” scrapped it, reducing gasoline prices by 4.3 cents a litre.

His government is spending $30 million in court to fight Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s carbon-pricing measures, which take effect Monday.

Robert Benzie is the Star's Queen's Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

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