Ontario Imposes 2-year Hold on Bottled Water Business

Ontario is proposing a two-year hold on the creation or expansion of bottled water plants as the government moves to strengthen the rules around water taking permits.

The Canadian Press has learned the province plans to impose stricter scientific requirements for water taking permits such as studies on the cumulative impact of the practice on local supplies, especially during droughts.

A source familiar with the announcement says the Liberals also want more public transparency, and will mandate that companies create websites listing information about their water taking permits and showing the actual amounts taken every week.

However, there will not be any immediate increase in the $3.71 the province charges for every one million litres of water taken, which the source says the government is still reviewing.

The Liberals want to address issues around water taking as they relate to their fight against climate change, which experts believe is leading to more severe weather conditions, including droughts.

And they believe the changes being proposed will help address the public's concerns about safe and secure supplies of drinking water.

The province wants to make it mandatory for bottled water companies to reduce water takings during droughts like the one experienced this year in Wellington county, 100 kilometres west of Toronto.

Nestlé voluntarily reduced the amount of water it takes from its wells in the region this year when the Level 2 drought forced local residents to restrict water use on lawns and for washing cars.

The government will post its proposed changes for water taking permits on the Environmental Bill of Rights Registry Monday for 45 days of public comment.

Read full article at: CBC

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Taxonomy

• Drought
• Resource Conservation
• Sustainability
• Water Resources
• Bottled Water
• Bottling