If Bill 66 is passed,…

If Bill 66 is passed, industry will be able to bypass drinking water source protections under the Clean Water Act. This change would weaken critical protections passed in response to the Walkerton tragedy, in which contaminated drinking water killed seven people and made thousands of people ill.

The protection of our current and future drinking water sources is critical. If this program is bypassed, it has the potential of harming the health and safety of people and animals of today and into the future. Without legislation in place to protect these sources there will be a gap in proper protection. The Clean Water Act was put together by industry experts using scientific based research. Ontario is leading the way in water treatment. This didn’t happen by chance. It was the unfortunate events in Walkerton that did. Now that we are getting to a point where we are world leaders, let’s not forget why we are here. We need to stand tall and proud and stand up for the safety of our drinking water sources. It was only 18 short years ago. It would be an embarrassment to take away restrictions from large industry simply for profits, knowing full-well control at the source is our best chance. And furthermore, they have the resources to put proper controls in place. These risk management plans are not asking for major investments in most cases. It is the fact of being away of the risks and being more cognizant of what is being done to keep them from entering our water systems. At this point, most of these plans are already in place or will be in a short time. Going forward it will be maintenance of these plans, ensuring any changes to the risks are dealt with accordingly.

In summary, the Clean Water Act should not be bypassed for anyone, especially any industry, who has an activity that would be considered a significant threat in a vulnerable area. The future generations depend on it.