Implementing Ontario's new Clean Water act
On October 18 2006, more than 6 years after the Walkerton tragedy, Ontario's groundbreaking Clean Water Act, passed third reading. It is intended to protect human health and both current and future sources of drinking water. The Act requires Conservation Authorities and municipal partners to develop watershed-based Source Protection Plans to protect existing and future sources of drinking water.
Since 2004, the Gordon Foundation has supported the efforts of Environmental Defence Canada and the Canadian Environmental Law Association to coordinate grassroots response to the draft legislation. The ENGO comments recently delivered to the Legislative Standing Committee stressed the need for sustainable funding for implementation, the need for extensive public consultation, the incorporation of strong conservation measures, and the extension of source protection to the Great Lakes, which are the source of drinking water for millions of Canadians.
Continued funding will allow EDC & CELA to support a network of "Water Guardians" in the early stages of implementation of the Act.
Future work by Environmental Defence Canada and the Canadian Environmental Law Association includes the production of educational materials on source water protection for key stakeholder groups such as shoreline users and farmers on the Clean Water Act. The groups are also creating a Water Guardian Network that will be focused on implementing the Clean Water Act.
For more information, see www.thewaterhole.ca/.
The full text of the Clean Water Act – An Act to protect existing and future sources of drinking water - may be found at: www.ontla.on.ca/documents/Bills/
The Sustainability Network's Freshwater Learning Network is closely linked to the Water Guardians Network, to provide capacity building support to select participating NGOs.
For more information on Learning Networks, see: http://sustain.web.ca/