We need smart decisions about sustaining our fresh water supply

Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government faces some key decisions this fall that pit business interests against people and communities worried about the supply of safe drinking water. And so far, Premier Doug Ford hasn’t been much of an environmental ally.

The Tories must decide whether to extend a moratorium on new watertaking permits for bottling companies like Nestlé Waters Canada, which despite the pause, was allowed to apply to renew permits to draw 4.7 million litres a day from its two wells near Guelph.

The cost: just $503.71 per million litres. Now you know how they can sell our water back to us for as little as $2 for 24 bottles, with the biggest cost (but not just to bottling companies) being the single-use plastic containers they use that clutter our landfills.

The moratorium was imposed in 2017 by the previous Liberal government concerned about water that’s taken from aquifers but isn’t returned. The Liberals later raised the price from $3.71 per million litres, after Nestlé outbid the rapidly growing community of Centre Wellington for a well the township (which includes Fergus and Elora) wants for its drinking water.

It’s hard to outbid Nestlé Group, which had worldwide profits last year of $10 billion (U.S.).

Ontario’s moratorium was extended until Jan. 1, 2020, by the Ford government, which ordered a review of the scientific evidence as well as consultations with businesses and communities on resuming the issuance of new or expanded water-taking permits, and crucially, at what price.

One solution would be a huge increase in the cost of permits for water-bottling companies — perhaps $10,000 per million litres. Or $100,000. Or at least enough to recover the Ministry of the Environment’s costs for its water management programs. Let’s stop giving it away, so our precious water isn’t the cheapest component of their too-damned-convenient product.

Nestlé’s seemingly unquenchable thirst draws protests around the globe, and a lot of opposition in Ontario. In 2007, thousands of Guelph residents objected to renewing Nestlé’s permits to take enough water for a town of 6,000 people from its well near Aberfoyle. The area was experiencing drought conditions and people were worried about their already depleted water supply.

The Canadian Bottled Water Association notes its members account for only one per cent of water-taking permits in Ontario and doesn’t think they should be singled out.

Environmentalists warn that Bill 132, a PC red tape-reduction bill, would override municipal regulations on aggregate operations. Municipalities could object to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (successor to the Ontario

Municipal Board), a weak substitute for the power the province is taking from them. Ford boasts about cutting regulations to make life easier for businesses, but the last time a PC government slashed environmental regulations, seven people died and 2,300 became very sick after drinking tainted water in Walkerton.

Ontario’s last independent environmental commissioner advised the province to keep a sharp eye on growing demands for water within the larger context of a changing climate, a rapidly growing population and a paved-over, built-up landscape that increasingly inhibits groundwater recharge.

We need smart decisions that ensure the sustainability of safe water supplies for our communities and determine priorities and prices for businesses based on science and environmental concerns.