Published on: 05/11/2015

On November 3rd, the new Environmental Commissioner (EC) of Ontario Ellen Schwartzel published her first Annual Report, Small Things Matter, detailing the provinces performance on environmental issues over the past year and outlining areas for much needed reform.

Of particular interest to OSWCA members is Part 3 of this report "Managing Water for the Future".  It addresses a number of issues of interest including around the need for greater provincial leadership on the move towards full cost pricing for the delivery of fresh water for major industrial and commercial water takers. The report notes that most major water-taking industries are getting a free ride, while those that do pay for their water-takings are paying only a small fraction of what is costs to manage the water system.

Additionally, the EC reported extensively on the permit to take water (PTTW) process, noting that with upcoming changes to the short-term water takings permit requirements, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change should refocus its efforts and scrutiny on large-scale water taking activities, particularly those considered to be high-risk.

Recommendations were made to move towards a full cost pricing model and also to make the permitting process for major water takers more transparent and open to public scrutiny by posting their applications on the Environmental Registry for comment.

The full report can be found at http://eco.on.ca/201415-annual-report/

If you have any questions about full cost pricing or the permit to take water process, please contact Patrick McManus (905-629-7766 ext. 222 or patrick.mcmanus@oswca.org).

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