In May 2000, drinking water contaminated with E.coli and campylobacter bacteria killed seven people and made more than 2,300 people ill in Walkerton, Ontario. After the tragedy, the Ontario government established a public Inquiry led by the Honourable Dennis O'Connor.
Commissioner O'Connor's findings were released in two volumes:
- The Report of the Walkerton Inquiry, Part One: The Events of May 2000 and Related Issues reported on the events in Walkerton and the causes of the tragedy. It was released in January 2002 and contained 28 recommendations.
- Part Two: A Strategy for Safe Drinking Water was released in May 2002 and contained 93 recommendations.
Since the tragedy, Ontario has put in place strong measures to ensure safe drinking water including:
- implementing all 121 actions recommended in the reports from the Walkerton Inquiry
- protecting drinking water from the source to the tap through an extensive network of safeguards and oversight measures
- requiring Ontario communities to determine what measures are needed to protect their water sources and how best to carry them out
Learn more about the O’Connor Inquiry reports and recommendations:
