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
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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
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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
Polluting pays off
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A dairy farmer who has been polluting Ontario’s Lake Simcoe has hit the jackpot, winning a grant of $99,950 to construct and maintain a concrete tank to store manure from his 55-cow milking herd. Environment Canada explained that the project will significantly reduce the levels of phosphorus and other nutrients entering the watershed. It didn’t explain why it chose to reward a major polluter with a grant, rather than slapping him with a fine — why, in other words, it administers a system of “polluter gets” rather than “polluter pays.” Continue reading
Chronicling unsafe drinking water
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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."
Smith v. Inco: Holding the nickel giant responsible for historical pollution
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Stuart Norris examines the July 2010 decision in Smith v. Inco, which found Inco liable for reduced property values resulting from nickel contamination in Port Colborne, Ontario.
Ontario’s Water Opportunities Act: A Missed Opportunity to Price Water Responsibly
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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
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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
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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
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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.
Wastewater System Effluent Regulations: Will They Help or Harm the Environment?
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Environment Probe’s submission to Environment Canada concerning the federal government’s proposal to regulate wastewater under the Fisheries Act. Probe raises four concerns about the proposed regulations: They will relax existing standards; they will dis-empower the public; they will allow some municipalities to pollute for another 30 years; and there is no guarantee that they will be enforced.
Upgrading sewage facilities: Who should pay?
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Brace yourself for a debate over who will pay for the sewage treatment upgrades required under the proposed federal Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations. The federal government quite rightly expects municipalities to pay to upgrade their systems. But municipalities insist they cannot absorb new treatment expenses on their own.
Proposed sewage regulations: Advance or retreat?
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The federal government is proposing regulating wastewater systems effluent under the Fisheries Act. The proposed regulations, in permitting specified amounts of four deleterious substances in wastewater effluents, may authorize discharges that were previously forbidden under the act. They may signify a relaxing of standards, rather than a toughening of standards.
Environment Probe 