My wife and I are family…

My wife and I are family doctors in Walkerton with 3 grown children, 2 of whom were toddlers during our towns water tragedy - one of Ontario's most famous environmental disasters in the year 2000. We were close to the youngest (2 1/2 year old) of the Walkerton water fatalities and her parents. The Walkerton Inquiry cited the provincial government of Mike Harris as having played a role in reducing oversight and regulatory safeguards that contributed to the tragedy. Seldom discussed is the reason for having a shallow well (unintentionally but in retrospect, obviously more susceptible to groundwater contamination) contributing to Walkerton's water supply in the first place. A local business was spending what it felt was excessive amounts on water softening and desired a supply of softer water (the shallow well) to save money. Decreased oversight and regulations in favour of being more business friendly has some potential for short term gains but opens up many opportunities for long term pain and environmental degradation which has spelled human tragedy in the past. Please listen to the thoughtful critiques of this dangerous legislation from voices such as the Pembina institute, the Canadian Environmental Law Association's, and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment attached in links below.