I read this statement,…

I read this statement, posted by the government on ERO 019-1340, to the effect that its review “determined that bottled water takings in Ontario are not impacting the sustainability of groundwater resources and that groundwater takings for bottling are managed sustainably in the province under existing legislation, regulation and guidance.”

I did not believe it. And, I found, upon doing some research, that there is reason for not believing it.

- The Council of Canadians discovered that in fact the government’s reporting of the BluMetric review is selective, that the report also states that municipal groundwater sources are either unsustainable or uncertain in more than half of the study regions in the future due to population growth, climate change and development.

- The Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition identified an acknowledgement in the government’s reporting, that in fact Ontario’s groundwater and surface water resources are generally sustainable under CURRENT climate conditions and levels of water use. We all know current climate conditions are not what we will be living with; and without serious government action, levels of water use will rise.

The regulatory status quo is weak. The government needs to step up its stewardship of our water.

Here in Simcoe County, we have an amazing resource: the water filtered through the Waverley Uplands and rising through artesian wells in the Tiny / Tay / Springwater / Oro-Medonte areas has been tested for 25 years, first by Dr. William Shotyk, now of the University of Alberta, and more recently by other eminent scientists, and found to be more pristine than ancient Arctic ice cores.

Yet the Ontario government and its environment ministry have taken no note of this important discovery. There appears to be no regulatory framework in place that would protect this unique and historic water. That has to change.

It’s time to take water seriously - our exceptional water that springs fresh and pure from the ground here in Simcoe County, and water elsewhere across the province that continues to sustain life.

- No more bottling of water. Phase out the current permits.
- Expand the regulatory review to include all water-taking permits.
- Make all water-taking data public and easily accessible
- Protect water as a human right.