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Notes for remarks

by

The Honourable Laurel Broten
Minister of the Environment

Cheque presentation - Essex Region Conservation Authority
“Investing in the Science of Clean Water”

Windsor Art Gallery
Windsor, ON
Thursday, January 19, 2006

(Check against delivery)

I am delighted to join Mayor (Eddie) Francis and other honoured guests this afternoon, including Tom Wilson and our partners at the Essex Region Conservation Authority. (Tom Wilson is a city councillor and Chair of the ERCA.)

It’s a pleasure to be back in the great city of Windsor, the gateway to Ontario.

The McGuinty government is committed to working with you to protect our health and quality of life. A big part of our commitment is supporting efforts to protect the natural sources of our drinking water across the province.

Le gouvernement McGuinty est déterminé à collaborer avec vous dans le but de protéger notre santé et notre qualité de vie. Une bonne partie de notre engagement consiste à appuyer les efforts visant à protéger les sources naturelles d’eau potable de toute la province.

Today I have the pleasure of providing a cheque to the Essex Region Conservation Authority as part of our government’s investment in the science of protecting groundwater, surface waters and the Great Lakes.

I would like to take a moment to talk about an important piece of legislation that I introduced in the legislature at Queen’s Park last month. The Clean Water Act, if passed, will ensure that Ontarians will have clean, safe and abundant water – in fact, some of the best-protected drinking water in the world.

The Clean Water Act is the first piece of legislation that I introduced as Minister …and it’s a vital part of our series of safeguards protecting Ontario’s drinking water at every stage from the source to the tap.

With this legislation, we are acting on our most fundamental beliefs about drinking water and the best ways to protect it.

We have given a strong local focus to the Act.

We believe that local authorities are in the best possible position to determine what protection measures are necessary in their communities, how to carry them out, and who should lead.

For example, this community is both urban and rural. It depends on both surface and groundwater. The potential threats to water quality are diverse, and they’re different from threats faced by other communities. You need that kind of local knowledge to develop a good protection plan.

We have made the Act a vehicle for collective participation. Everyone in the community will have an opportunity to bring their diverse talents to the common task of protecting drinking water sources.

I want to stress that the operative word here is – prevention. The Act would require communities to look at existing and potential threats to their water quality, and take action to reduce or eliminate them.

In effect, we are empowering local communities. Windsor and Essex Region would have the authority to act before threats to your water quality turn into real problems. And not just threats from within local municipalities, but also those originating outside of your communities’ boundaries.

Finally, we are emphasizing sound science and research. Plans developed under the Clean Water Act will be based on good science, constant vigilance and foresight.

And it’s why I am so pleased to now provide Tom Wilson and the Essex Region Conservation Authority with this cheque.

These funds – close to a quarter million dollars – are part of our government’s $67 million investment that I announced late last year along with Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay.

This money will help Windsor and Essex Region to fund studies to back your plans to protect local watersheds.

You will have a much clearer picture of the sources, quality and quantity of your drinking water, as well as any threats to it.

You will be better able to protect your drinking water by reducing the risk of shortages or groundwater contamination.

And you will have more tools to protect against industrial pollution.

We all have a responsibility to protect drinking water. The McGuinty government is fortunate to have partners like the Essex Region Conservation Authority, who understand and embrace their vital role.

Let’s continue to work together to ensure that residents in Windsor and Essex Region – and all across Ontario – have drinking water that is safe, clean and healthy.

Nous avons tous et toutes le devoir de protéger l’eau potable. Le gouvernement McGuinty a la chance d’avoir des partenaires comme l’Office de protection de la nature de la région d’Essex, un partenaire qui comprend le rôle essentiel qu’il joue et qui assume son rôle pleinement.

Nous devons continuer à collaborer dans le but d’assurer la sécurité et la salubrité de l’eau potable des habitants de la région de Windsor et Essex, et de tous les Ontariens et Ontariennes.

Thank you.

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