Regulatory frameworks such…

Regulatory frameworks such as the Clean Water Act and the Ontario Water Resources Act were designed to manage and protect our shared water resources, ecosystems, and health.

Key regulatory tools that currently protect our water include:
-Requirement of permits – including application and approval processes – for extracting more than 50,000 litres of groundwater per day; (Consequently any cumulative impact wont be known and the certainty of negative impact on our watershed sustainability is almost guaranteed by these proposed changes!)
-Public consultation that allows local communities to have a say in decisions that may impact them; and
-Requirements for industry to notify local conservation authorities of water-taking practices in order to facilitate collaborative management of water resources and municipal infrastructure, including consideration of drought and flood risks and conditions.

This further erosion of the role of the Conservation Authority is extremely shortsighted and of great concern in terms of the protection of water and natural heritage.

Ontario’s proposal to remove of the limit for groundwater-taking and to allow up to 379,000 litres of groundwater-taking per day without permit, while restricting public consultation and removing the requirement to notify conservation authorities, puts the ecosystem, human health, and municipal infrastructure at risk.

With regard to Municipal Sewer use these proposals eliminate the accepted practice that enforcement is key in source water protection. What tragedy are these proposals setting up?

I worry then about long term sustainability of our watershed, as well as Municipal water supply which would be at significant risk should these amendments pass. The Guelph community is one of several areas of water vulnerability and this proposal eliminates public participation and contradicts the Great Lakes Agreement (Article 203, 206) and make the cumulative impact unclear.

I strongly oppose these amendments and implore you to NOT PROCEED ON THEM!