Veolia Water touts its sewage agreement with Winnipeg as a model for other communities. But Elizabeth Brubaker argues in the National Post that it would be a bad model, as it merely provides for "expert advice" on the design, construction and operation of Winnipeg’s sewage-treatment facilities. It brings no private investment, limits incentives and opportunities for savings, and blurs lines of accountability regarding costs and performance. Continue reading
Category Archives: Water and Wastewater
Winnipeg Signs 30-Year “Alliance” With Veolia
Gallery
Public Works Financing reports on Winnipeg’s 30-year contract with Veolia Water, under which the firm will advise the city on capital improvements to and operations of its sewage treatment facilities. The article notes Elizabeth Brubaker’s concerns about sewage treatment staff and management remaining under city control. Continue reading
Liability limits: lessons from the BP oil spill
Gallery
One year ago, the BP Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded, killing 11 crew members and sending more than four million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Although drilling in the Gulf’s deep waters is resuming, the law limiting oil companies’ liability for the damage they cause has yet to be changed. Until lawmakers eliminate the liability cap, oil companies will lack full incentives to prevent future disasters, and will be ill-equipped to deal with them should they occur. Continue reading
Canadians’ contradictory water attitudes
Gallery
A new survey of Canadians’ attitudes toward water reveals deep concerns about both water quality and water quantity. It also exposes a dangerous reluctance to address these issues if doing so means paying more for water or wastewater infrastructure or services. Continue reading
Environmentalists short-circuiting water conservation debate
Gallery
Joseph Quesnel argues that water markets may enhance conservation and help address water scarcity in the Prairies. He refers to “the pioneering work of Environment Probe’s Elizabeth Brubaker, who argues that water markets should come with water pricing reform.” Continue reading
New report, same old problems
Gallery
Ontario’s latest drinking water report is out, and the news isn’t good. The report, like its predecessors, reveals wide-spread problems at drinking water systems across the province. Continue reading
Drinking water: no place for complacency
Gallery
In Safe Drinking Water Policy for Canada, Steve Hrudey warns against complacency among the operators and regulators of water systems. He argues for an approach to water safety that involves “ongoing critical self-examination” — a far cry from the approach here in Ontario. Continue reading
Drinking water still not safe: study
Gallery
In a new study, drinking water expert Steve Hrudey warns that many Canadian water systems remain unsafe. More than a decade after the Walkerton tragedy, Hrudey reports, Canada remains “vulnerable to future water-quality failures, most likely in smaller systems. The problem is not that numerical water safety criteria are inadequately stringent; the documented failures have been caused by an inability to operate water systems effectively, pointing to inadequate competence.” Continue reading
Chronicling unsafe drinking water
Gallery
On a typical day, there are more than 1,500 drinking water warnings in place across Canada. Continue reading
We must stop treating our lakes, rivers, and oceans as toilets
Gallery
Our sewage systems – carrying and treating the waste we flush down our drains – are Canada’s largest polluters. And yet, the federal government is giving them as much as 30 years to clean up their acts. In our year-end letter to supporters, we call for quicker action to end sewage pollution in Canada.
P3s: Better service at lower cost
Gallery
Municipalities can partner with private firms to provide better water and sewage services to consumers. What’s more, such arrangements can save money. Those messages came through loud and clear at the National Conference on Public- Private Partnerships held in Toronto on November 22nd and 23rd.
Water and Wastewater Utilities: The Challenges Ahead
Gallery
In her remarks to the CCPPP National Conference on Public-Private Partnerships, Elizabeth Brubaker stresses that municipal water and wastewater utilities are performing badly, and that many municipalities lack the resources – both financial and professional – to solve this problem on their own.
Troubled waters: Ontario’s non-compliant drinking water systems
Gallery
A closer look at the drinking water systems with the worst inspection ratings in 2008-09. Where were they located? How many people did they serve? Who operated them?
Rose-coloured glasses … of drinking water
Gallery
Ontario’s Chief Drinking Water Inspector is looking at municipal drinking water systems through rose-coloured glasses. In his latest annual report, John Stager boasts that he is "proud" of the systems’ performance. He explains, "We found that 49 per cent of these systems achieved a 100 per cent inspection rating, which means that they were in full compliance with the regulations." The guardian of our drinking water should be alarmed – not proud – that more than half of our 700 municipal water systems violate provincial regulations.
Sewage Treatment: Not Good Enough
Gallery
Sewage Treatment: Not Good Enough. The title of a chapter in the latest Annual Report of the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario says it all.
Global water conference in Canada to be used for anti-privatization protest
Gallery
Andy Blatchford reports on the World Water Congress and the debate it has prompted regarding the private sector’s role in providing clean water. He quotes Environment Probe’s Elizabeth Brubaker, who argues that public utilities aren’t serving Canadians well and that the private sector, with its capital and expertise, "could help us out of the mess that we’re in."
Ontario’s Water Opportunities Act: A Missed Opportunity to Price Water Responsibly
Gallery
The Ontario government has introduced legislation to conserve water resources, sustain municipal water infrastructure, and support Ontario’s water industry. In its submission on the proposed act, Environment Probe points out that it overlooks the role that pricing must play in achieving all three goals. The proposed act will be inefficient, ineffective, and even counter-productive. Its provisions are weaker than those in legislation that was passed in 2002 – legislation that has not yet come into force, since successive governments have refused to proclaim it.
Ombudsman slams Toronto Water
Gallery
In a report delivered to Toronto City Council last week, Ombudsman Fiona Crean lambasted Toronto Water: "My investigation showed inertia, incompetence and a complete failure on the part of many public servants to take responsibility for their work."
A Competitive Water Market
Gallery
In the July-August issue of Water Canada, Mira Shenker asks whether a competitive water market could help allocate water in Canada, lead to better service, and encourage consumers to use water more efficiently. She quotes Environment Probe’s Elizabeth Brubaker: "In the best of all possible worlds, consumers would choose their water from a number of suppliers offering different qualities, services, and prices."
National Round Table warns of water scarcity
Gallery
In a new report, the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy examines the water use of Canada’s energy, agriculture, mining, and forest sectors, which together account for the great bulk of the country’s water use. It also looks at the importance of water to our ecosystems. The report warns that Canada is facing a looming scarcity challenge.
Environment Probe 