March 7, 2018…

March 7, 2018

Re:              Protecting Water for Future Generati are accommodated by taking an integrated watershed management approach to planning and decisions; and

•That the Province improve the water management program by: ....

oConsidering the establishment of Regional Water Boards to review water quantity and quality reports, as well as watershed report cards and recommend strategic actions. Such Boards could become, for example, an on-going task of existing Source Protection Committees.

To help you appreciate the degree to which people are informed and concerned about the state of Ontario’s water, we urge you to read the Proceedings of the six meetings held by WaterScape.

While a hyperlink to the Proceedings can be found at http://ontarioheadwaters.ca/blog/, please note we will be forwarding a hard copy of the Proceedings to the Ministers involved in this initiative.

The Proceedings make abundantly clear that Ontario has serious challenges in the public mind with respect to its efforts to protect water. Either you are doing a great job that no one understands, or you are not doing even a passable job.

As the truth may lie somewhere in the middle, we think that the Province should, in addition to seriously considering the 17 recommendations in the joint publication, both:

A.Expand its efforts at public education on the importance of clean water to all living things, watershed management, and water conservation; and,

B.Demonstrate a significantly greater commitment to protecting water across Ontario.

Sincerely,

Andrew McCammon

Executive Director

[Original Comment ID: 213522]