Minister's Speech

Remarks prepared for:

The Honourable John Gerretsen
Minister of the Environment

Ontario Water Works Association/
Ontario Municipal Water Association:
Joint Annual Conference and Trade Show 2009
“Municipal Drinking Water – Today’s Challenges”

Monday, May 4, 2009

(Check against delivery)

Thank you, Rosemary. (Minister to be introduced by Councillor Rosemary Kelleher-MacLennan of Trent Hills/Director on the Board of the OMWA Board)

Good morning, everyone.

I want to thank my friend Diane Gagner, as well as Doug Parker and everyone at the Ontario Water Works Association and Ontario Municipal Water Association for the opportunity to participate once again in your Joint Annual Conference and Trade Show. 

I’m very pleased to participate on this panel with Mayor Miller, as well as Maude Barlow and Lou Di Gironimo. These are people with a strong commitment to protecting our environment and improving our quality of life. 

I know the Ontario Water Works Association and Ontario Municipal Water Association share this commitment.

When I spoke to you a year ago, I gave you an update of the new policy initiatives that had been put in place to protect drinking water:

• We had brought in the Clean Water Act in 2007 and had passed two sets of regulations under that act. 
• We had introduced new Municipal Licensing Requirements. 
• We had developed the Lead Action Plan to address an emerging and potentially very serious concern.

Since that time, I’m sure you’ve noticed we’ve been busy on other fronts —  passing both the Cosmetic Pesticides Ban Act and the Lake Simcoe Protection Act.  We’ve introduced a bill to reduce toxics in the environment and developed and expanded waste diversion programs.

Of course, all of these initiatives work in concert, and all directly or indirectly improve water quality, including the quality of our drinking water sources, but they are not talked about as water initiatives. 

We’ve also continued with implementing important initiatives related to protecting water.

Most of these have not been in the news in the last year or so compared to other initiatives or legislation.

And, I think that’s a good thing.  It’s a sign that things are working well.

But, make no mistake.  While these issues have not been in the news, protecting water remains very high on our list of priorities. 

We’ve established tougher standards, improved testing and protocols for taking fast action to resolve water quality problems.

There are more rigorous requirements for the training and certification of people that operate water systems and facilities.

Our ongoing work on these issues is critical to the protection of our water resources.

The Clean Water Act

Of course, the foundation of this work is the Clean Water Act.  Strong legislation is at the core of our multi-barrier approach to drinking water safety.

Our primary focus is prevention, which is bringing communities together to protect the sources of their drinking water.

The 19 source water protection committees have developed and submitted their terms of reference and are already working on the science to develop their Assessment Reports.

We’ve got the right foundations in place now. 

The system is open and transparent, with greater accountability.

Last year, I was able to tell you Ontario’s drinking water is among the best-protected in the world. 

At that time, 99.7 per cent of all drinking water samples taken in Ontario met all provincial drinking water requirements. 

The good news is the already high overall compliance figure continues to increase.

The latest numbers will be released later this month in the annual report by Ontario’s Chief Drinking Water Inspector.  The report will show continued improvement in the delivery of safe, clean, drinking water in Ontario.

There’s a simple reason why the numbers keep getting better:  Along with our partners, we remain ever-vigilant in further protecting Ontario’s drinking water.

This includes the drinking water owners and operators continually optimizing their systems, resulting in higher quality water going out of the plant and into the distribution system to each and every household.

Our approach to ensuring drinking water safety is working.  So, while it may not be grabbing the headlines, it is fundamentally what protecting human health and the environment is all about.  

And I’m proud of the hard, but often less dramatic work to implement these policy initiatives — both by my own ministry staff and by front-line water managers like you.

Backflow

Backflow is another key issue you have identified as a potential threat to the health of Ontario residents and communities.  There are definite risks associated with contaminated water flowing back into drinking water distribution systems from commercial, institutional and industrial facilities, as well as from multi-unit residential buildings.

We share your concern.  This is potentially the most serious threat to our drinking water supply.

Backflow incidents are rare but they can have very dire consequences.  A large percentage of them are not even reported.

But you know of the higher profile incidents and you’ve been advocating for stronger protections to prevent similar events from occurring.

Many municipalities have initiated their own backflow prevention programs.  And a number of smart companies are taking the necessary steps to retrofit their water infrastructure to reduce the risk of backflow.

I applaud these forward-looking efforts.  We are partnering with you through the working group we’ve created to identify possible solutions.

I’m pleased to report we’re making good progress.  As you may know, we’ve identified several options for addressing backflow through the Working Group that you’re also part of. 

My ministry, along with our partners at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, is reviewing the work that’s been done to date.  I look forward to coming back to you to seek support for a preferred option that will serve as the basis for moving forward.

I recognize there are a number of questions we must deal with, including the costs to municipalities, industries, and property and business owners — but I’m confident we will create the safeguards necessary to protect drinking water and the health of Ontario residents.

Municipal Licensing

Municipal licensing is another area where we’re strengthening drinking water protections.  As I mentioned at the outset, I spoke to you last year about the benefits of the new program.  As you know, implementation has begun.  I understand we’ll be ready to issue licenses to three municipalities in the next two weeks.

It has taken sustained effort over the past four years to get to where we are today with the licensing program.

Thanks to partners like you, we have Canada’s first comprehensive program.  I really think we’re on the right track with a single approval that will include a drinking water works permit, an operational plan, an accredited operating authority, a financial plan and a permit to take water.

The quality management system aspects of the license will ensure that everyone, including the public, is aware of who is responsible for what part of the drinking water system.

It ensures that quality management is the responsibility of the people who manage the drinking water system; it is not a ministry program dictating how the system must be managed.  The knowledgeable staff within the organization will develop practices that make sense for their drinking water system.

And the independent auditor confirms that these practices are being followed.

We’ve been receiving license applications and I understand that the ministry and the organization doing the auditing are very pleased with the quality of submissions.  So, my congratulations to the water sector in their implementation of this exciting initiative.

Lead Action Plan

Ontario’s Lead Action Plan is another success story.  It is an excellent demonstration of our water safety net in action.

We took decisive action to respond to an emerging challenge — in this case, elevated lead levels that were found in drinking water in schools, private schools, day nurseries and homes throughout the province in the Spring of 2007.

Today, it’s mandatory to test for lead in drinking water throughout the province. And, when higher than acceptable levels are detected, certain actions are required.  John Stager will be providing a further update on the Lead Action Plan in his presentation today.  As John will attest, the Lead Action Plan is working.

So is the safety net that protects our drinking water.

It’s one of the reasons why Ontario enjoys such a high quality of life.

In closing, I want to again express my appreciation to the Ontario Water Works Association and the Ontario Municipal Water Association for inviting me to speak here today.  Thank you for your leadership and for being with us every step of the way in ensuring the safety of Ontario’s drinking water.

Together, we’ve faced great challenges and made hard decisions. 

And more remains to be done.

Let’s continue to build on our partnership to find new and better ways to protect drinking water and create a brighter future for Ontario.

Thank you.

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