​I am writing to express my…

​I am writing to express my strong opposition to the legislative framework established under the Water and Wastewater Public Corporations Act. While the government claims these changes are intended to "modernize" infrastructure, the legal mechanics of this bill create a dangerous path toward the privatization of our most essential resource: water.
​1. The Profit Motive vs. Public Safety
​The legislation requires these new entities to be incorporated under the Business Corporations Act—the same legal structure used by for-profit companies. History in other jurisdictions and even within Ontario (such as the Walkerton tragedy) has shown that when water management is driven by bottom-line efficiencies and shareholder interests rather than public health, the risks to water quality and safety increase exponentially.
​2. Loss of Municipal Autonomy and Accountability
​This bill grants the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing the power to seize control of municipal water systems and hand them over to these corporations, in some cases without the consent of the local municipality. This bypasses the democratic oversight of elected local councils who are directly accountable to the residents using these services.
3. Escalating Costs for Ontarians
​By shifting water management to a corporate model with fee-setting autonomy, the government is opening the door to significant rate increases. For-profit structures inherently necessitate higher costs to cover corporate overhead and potential dividends, which will inevitably fall on the shoulders of Ontario families already struggling with a high cost of living.
4. "Public" in Name Only
​Legal experts have noted that the word "public" in the title of these corporations offers no actual statutory protection against future private investment or control. Without explicit, ironclad guarantees in the legislation that prevent the sale of shares to private interests or the outsourcing of core operations to for-profit entities, this remains a "stealth" privatization plan.
Water is a human right and a public trust, not a commodity to be managed by corporate boards behind closed doors. I urge the government to repeal the Water and Wastewater Public Corporations Act and instead provide direct, predictable provincial funding to municipalities to upgrade their own public water infrastructure.
Keep our water safe, affordable, and 100% public.