I support the extension of…

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019-0913

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37338

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I support the extension of the moratorium on new and expanded water taking permits. Water is a common and should not be sold as a commodity. Water is a basic human right necessary to survive and should not be sold. The water taken from our ground water and aquifers and sold around the world does not return to our water table, it is gone forever. I understand only 20 percent of our groundwater is renewable . In Northumberland County where I reside, we depend on ground water and the aquifers of the Oak Ridges Moraine to supply our wells, the farmers' crops and livestock with water. However, there are two bottled water taking permit holders in our county who take millions of litres of water from our area for a pittance and sell it making obscene profits, and they are not even shown on the Ontario Ministry of the Environment map of the water taking permit holders.
Has the quantity of water in our aquifers been ascertained to see if we have enough for our use, local agriculture which is the biggest employer and biggest industry in our county, and enough for future generations and our increased population?
Bottled water companies pollute our environment with billions of empty single use water bottles. Is there going to be a ban on them?
is there going to be a deposit and refund programme to reduce this garbage?
Is there going to be legislation so that when we have droughts those holding water taking permits are required to reduce their water takings accordingly?
Being open for business in Ontario does not mean allowing companies to sell our water out from under us.