The past year and a half has seen more progress by the Government of Ontario on water policy than over the previous nine years of Wellington Water Watchers’ existence. Because of new provincial guidelines for bottling permits, etc., one might think that our water is protected.
However, on Monday — the first anniversary of a government announcement that it planned a two-year moratorium on new and expanded water bottling permits — it is still business as usual: the abuse of our aquifers continues, and Ontario’s water is not yet protected long term.
Yes, the moratorium announced by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change was a welcome response to public demands across Ontario to protect groundwater. Temporarily halting expansion of corporate-controlled removal of precious Ontario groundwater for resale, it was designed to allow time to look at priorities for groundwater use.
A provincial election is set for June 2018, making the coming months a crucial time to protect Wellington County groundwater.
Wellington Water Watchers, along with thousands of people all over Ontario, is asking Premier Kathleen Wynne not to wait for the moratorium to expire. She should (1) say "no" to existing applications to take additional water in Wellington County and (2) before the provincial election, commit to phasing out water bottling permits within 10 years.
Denying new bottling permits before the moratorium expires is a simple but necessary action to renew our relationship with water.
The solution flows cleanly from our taps; it does not lie inside a plastic vessel.