The mining of groundwater…

The mining of groundwater should be discouraged where it is not necessary for health reasons, competes with more productive uses or impinges on the ability of the resource’s ability to be replaced.

Having more municipal government say in groundwater withdrawals is a positive move though the proposal does not inform the public about whether existing approvals in place prior to April 1, 2021 are to be grandfathered (e.g. if a municipality had voted prior to April 1 would it be captured retroactively if it changed its vote after April 1 or would that be considered the baseline vote?).

It also would be helpful for the public to be informed of a permit costs and the financial payments for the groundwater withdrawal and the criteria for the Ministry’s technical reviews of a permit assessment. The public should be informed of this component of the review process. A link with the regulatory change, if it proceeds, would be helpful.

As the Province will be aware, Canada is banning some single-use plastic items by the end of 2021. Ontario has an opportunity to take leadership beyond the federal targets. Single use bottled water containers continue to litter Ontario’s ravines, highways and parklands. The Province is requested to enact measures to discourage the use and discarding of single use bottled water, particular the sizes between 0.25 and 1.0 litres that most often become litter in the environment.
Thank You