The moratorium on permits to…

The moratorium on permits to take groundwater (and produce water-for-profit initiatives) put in place by the previous Liberal government in 2016 - and extended a number of times since by the current Conservative government - needs to be upheld.
The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks said it is strengthening protection of water resources with changes to the province’s water taking program, including the ability for municipalities to have more input on allowing bottled water companies to withdraw new or increased amounts of groundwater in their communities yet adjacent municipalities should be able to have the same ability to say no as host municipalities.
The regulations themselves need to be made stronger, especially by granting municipalities and First Nations adjacent to permit applicants the ability to have a say in the process. Each affected and adjacent municipality needs to have the authority to review not only a new application, but the renewal of an existing permit as well.
The Haudenosaunee Confederacy Council issued a cease-and-desist order two years ago to stop Nestlé from taking this precious resource. By requesting the permit and making plans to continue the water grab, BlueTriton is ignoring Indigenous sovereignty just like Nestlé did. While dozens of First Nations communities across Canada have not had access to safe drinking water for at least a year, BlueTriton is poised to pump clean water from Indigenous lands and bottling it for profit.