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In 1995 the Progressive Conservative Party (PC) defeated the New Democratic Party (NDP) to form the government in the province of Ontario, Canada. These parties represent different positions regarding the management, regulation and control of environmental affairs. The effects of provincial legislation on the environment are typically felt at the local level and hence we argue that this study has relevance for those interested in local environments. One policy paper regarding the environment for each party is analysed using a formal discourse analysis technique called textual analysis computing tools (TACT). The rationale for using TACT is included, as is a brief commentary on previous studies that have used discourse analysis to examine environmental issues. The results of the analysis indicate the different ways that the NDP and the PC express their philosophical positions as applied to environmental policy making in Ontario. The shift in 1995 from the social democratic and interventionist stance of the NDP with respect to environmental policy making toward the more corporate, free-market privatisation regime of the PC is demonstrated. Close attention is paid in the discourse analysis to the use of words like 'cost', 'economy' and 'environment' in the two documents analysed. The use of language in a government position paper creates meaning and significance to citizens in the context of their local environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]