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News Release

For immediate release
June 16, 2003

EVES GOVERNMENT TOUGHENS STANDARDS FOR
DRINKING WATER TESTING LABS

TORONTO - Effective October 1, 2003, laboratories in Ontario must be licensed to test drinking water, Environment Minister Chris Stockwell announced today.

“Ontario is the first province in Canada to make licensing mandatory,” Stockwell said. “Licensing ensures that there are strict standards in place for those who test Ontario’s drinking water.”

The Drinking Water Testing Services Regulation, created under the Safe Drinking Water Act, became law today. The new regulation requires private, municipal or provincial laboratories to fulfil certain needs before they can conduct drinking water testing on samples collected from any water system in the province, including private wells. The regulation also includes provisions for handling and labeling of samples, protocols for accepting samples, and conditions for sub-contracting. In addition, for the first time in Ontario’s history, laboratories will be subject to random visits by ministry inspectors.

The deadline for obtaining a license is October 1, 2003. Applications for licenses will be accepted after July 1^st and need to be submitted by August 1, 2003, to ensure they are processed by the October 1^st deadline. A pre-licensing inspection will be a mandatory part of the application process.

Licensing and inspection of laboratories were recommended by Commissioner O’Connor in his Walkerton inquiry report and mandated by the Safe Drinking Water Act, which became law in 2002.

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Contact:
John Steele
Communications Branch
Ministry of the Environment
(416) 314-6666

Amanda Kusick
Minister's Office
(416) 314-5454