QUEEN’S PARK — Mike Schreiner released the following statement after the government proposed to extend the moratorium on new and expanded water-taking permits:
“The government is doing the right thing by proposing to extend this moratorium.
It would be reckless and irresponsible to allow multinational companies to extract millions of litres of additional water per day without protecting our long-term water supply first.
As it stands, our regulations do not prioritize water for public use, even as water is coming under increasing strain from the climate crisis.
Water belongs first and foremost to the people of Ontario, and it should be managed as a public trust in the public interest, not as a commodity.
I want to thank the Minister for doing the right thing by extending the moratorium, and I am asking the government to immediately share the results of its review and consult on science-based regulations well in advance of the new October deadline.
We must enact stronger water protections laws that put public drinking water ahead of private operations.
But bottling companies are not the only threat to Ontario’s drinking water.
The government should rollback the risks to water in Bill 132, which weakens protections for below-the-water-table aggregate mining.”