The Ontario government Wednesday announced a proposed one-year extension of the moratorium on water bottling permits on the Environmental Registry of Ontario (https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/013-3974). The current moratorium, which originally took effect on December 16, 2016, prohibits new permits for water bottling facilities to take groundwater, prevents existing water bottling facilities from increasing their draw beyond what is authorized in their current permit, and precludes new or amended permits for pumping tests to identify sources for bottled water.
Save Our Water is encouraged by the government’s decision to re-evaluate its decision-making process for managing water takings in our province. This group has long been an advocate for policy that prioritizes the needs of ecosystems, farms and municipal water sources, reflecting the uncertain challenges of climate change and population growth. Additionally, Save Our Water fundamentally opposes commercial water bottling, emphasizing a position of water as a public trust, and not as a commodity to be sold.
Now more than ever, we need to engage with our Ministry officials and voice our concerns about water taking rules and continue asserting that Centre Wellington is NOT a willing host for commercial water bottlers. We urge all Ontario residents to post a comment relating to the proposed extension of the moratorium on the Environmental Registry of Ontario and let your voice be a part of the push towards more responsible water policy for the sake of protecting groundwater for future generations.
We need your support!
Take this one question survey and let the Ministry know how you feel about the proposal here
You can also post your comment on the Environmental Registry here
