There was a lot of celebrating this time last year when it was announced that Blue Triton was closing their water bottling operations across Ontario, including the one down the road in Puslinch. Current events have conspired to put water taking issues back on the frontburner but between concerns about the impact on renters in Bill 60 and the undermining of local oversight of school boards in Bill 33, is there any room on the agenda for protecting our water?

In the background of all the activity at Queen’s Park this fall, there have been efforts in the Environment, Conservation and Parks Ministry to streamline permit renewals for water taking, and to make it easier to take over existing permits at the same location instead of forcing them to file a new application. This is no small thing because water resources are already being stretched in communities that are dependent on ground water, like Guelph, where rapid growth and pressure to grow even faster is raising the alarm. 

But that’s not all! Recently, the Government of Ontario announced changes to conservation authorities that will take the province’s 32 agencies and amalgamate them into seven! And just when you thought local drinking water was safe, news came earlier this month that White Wolf Property Management Inc. had purchased wells in Hillsburgh and Aberfoyle for “water taking for the purposes of water bottling.”  

This week we're joined by Theresa McClenaghan, who is the executive director and counsel at the Canadian Environmental Law Association. She will tell us about the extent of the changes we’re talking about with water taking permits, what source water protection means legally speaking, and why the provincial Environmental Bill of Rights still has some teeth. Also, what are we learning about the Ontario government’s environmental agenda, and why the long-term consequences need to be better thought out.  

So let's dive into changes to water taking on this week's Guelph Politicast! 

You can learn more about the Canadian Environmental Law Association at their website. The last day to provide comment to changes to the Clean Water Act, aka: “Regulatory changes for accelerating and improving protections for Ontario’s drinking water sources” is Thursday December 4, and you can find a direct link here. If you’re interested in getting involved in local activism about water taking, you can always get in touch with Water Watchers.

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