I strongly support the…

I strongly support the proposal to require water-bottling companies to seek support from their host municipality when applying for a Permit to Take Water.

The Township of Centre Wellington has been requesting that the Ministry give consideration to the fact that this is not a willing host community for such a permit. Council has unanimously passed a resolution stating: “the Township of Centre Wellington is not a willing host community to any new commercial water bottling operation or the taking of water for that purpose under any circumstances.”

Requiring this input from the municipality is democratic and gives residents, councillors and communities a louder voice.

I also support the new regulation in prioritizing water use in guiding water-taking decisions. The highest priority uses should be Environment and Drinking Water, with Agricultural needs as most important in areas where there is the potential for insufficient water for this use. And lastly Commercial and Industrial uses, such as water bottling.

I agree with “Save our Water” that if this government is committed to fighting climate change, it must consider that combining all of the energy input totals from the use of plastic, to production, to transportation, “bottled water requires as much as 2,000 times the energy cost of producing tap water.” (P. H. Gleick and H. S. Cooley, “Energy Implications of bottled water,” Environmental Research Letters, 2009)

As well as considering that “more than one billion plastic bottles are not recycled in Ontario and are lost to disposal every year” (Recycling Council of Ontario). And plastic lasts forever in the environment.

Bottled water is not a sustainable option. We need to protect and conserve our water resources, and reduce our plastic waste, for the sake of future generations.