The health of this river…

The health of this river cannot be an afterthought or a casualty of rushed design work. The proponent is asking for permission to discharge treated wastewater into a small, sensitive watercourse that already experiences low flows and seasonal stress. That privilege comes with a responsibility to demonstrate—clearly, transparently, and with defensible data—that the system will perform reliably under real‑world conditions, not just on paper.

The expert review shows that the current proposal does not yet meet that standard. Key design assumptions are underestimated, critical components such as pre‑treatment and redundancy are missing, and the monitoring framework has not been defined. These are not minor details; they are foundational elements that determine whether the plant will protect the river or place it at risk.

Once an ECA is issued, the community and the watershed bear the consequences. There is no undo button. That is why MECP’s role is so essential here: to ensure that the design is thoroughly considered (at the very least strengthened significantly) before approval, not after problems emerge. We need to be proactive.

I urge MECP to require the proponent to address the identified gaps, correct the underestimations, and demonstrate—through robust design, adequate safeguards, and a comprehensive monitoring plan—that this system can truly protect the receiving watercourse. The river deserves nothing less, and neither does the communities that depends on it.