I am writing to express my…

I am writing to express my extreme opposition to the Ministry's proposed changes "to provide flexibility for water taking activities" to the Ontario Water Resources Act, R.S.O. 1990.

These proposed changes to the water permitting process will strip municipalities of their power to determine what is best for their communities; will violate Indigenous rights by eliminating consultation with Indigenous Nations; will allow corporations to purchase access to ground water; will eliminate an opportunity to reassess environmental impacts; and will put corporate greed above public well-being and environmental safety.

Shame on the Ford government for this blatant attempt to profit from the water we all depend on to survive in our shared ecology.

I urge the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks to vehemently reject the proposed changes to permits to take water regulations; to require new owners to apply for a new permit through a public, scientific, and Indigenous-informed review process; to uphold the duty the consult Indigenous Nations as required by provincial and constitutional law; and to treat water as a public trust and the essential and vital necessity for all life that it is, not as a private asset and a resource to be exploited.