What action has the Ontario government taken in regards to water taking permits?
In December 2003 the Ontario government passed Ontario Regulation 434/03 establishing a moratorium on new and expanding permits to take water. The regulation applies to permits to take water in Southern Ontario and in areas for which Conservation Authorities have been established in Northern Ontario . The moratorium will apply to beverage manufacturing, including bottled water; fruit or vegetable canning or pickling; ready-mix concrete manufacturing; aggregate processing where the product is a slurry; and manufacturing or production of products that contain more than 50,000 litres per day of water. It does not apply to municipalities; water used for agricultural purposes; renewals of existing permits for the same volume from the same location; or existing permits to take water. The government is proceeding with a review of the decision-making process and rules governing the Permit to Take Water program, and with the implementation of Justice O’Connor’s recommendations on source protect
