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Remarks prepared for:

The Honourable Laurel Broten
Minister of the Environment

Technology Demonstration Facility — Grand Opening
Walkerton Clean Water Centre

Walkerton, ON
Monday, June 19, 2006

(Check against delivery)

Thank you, Saad.

Good afternoon. Thank you everyone for being here.

I’m pleased to be here with Mayor Bagnato and Justice O’Connor, along with Saad Jasim and Murray Elston from the Walkerton Clean Water Centre.

I bring greetings on behalf of Premier McGuinty and my colleagues.

This is my second visit to Walkerton in as many months, and it’s given me another opportunity to reflect on the importance of safe, clean drinking water.

Little else matters if we can’t provide our families with healthy drinking water … if we can’t guarantee the safety of the water coming out of our taps.

Contaminated water threatens everything we hold dear — the health of our children, our economy, our very way of life.

No one knows this better than the people of Walkerton.

We must never forget what happened here in May 2000, and never let it happen again.

Many challenges remain and, yes, they are significant. But, as I pass my first anniversary as Minister of the Environment, I’ve seen first-hand that Ontario has the people and the expertise to get the job done.

I’m proud to be part of a government that is passionate about drinking water, and protecting the health of Ontarians.

We are on the side of families who deserve to have complete confidence that their water is clean and safe to drink. I see my responsibilities as Minister as virtually synonymous with my responsibilities as a mother of two baby boys. That’s why I’m so pleased to see the great work being done here at the Walkerton Clean Water Centre. Your efforts will benefit all of our children, and the generations to come.

Je considère mes responsabilités en tant que ministre très similaires à mes responsabilités en tant que mère de deux petits garçons. C’est pourquoi je suis ravie de l’important travail qui se fait ici au Centre de Walkerton pour l’assainissement de l’eau. Vos efforts profiteront à tous nos enfants, ainsi qu’aux générations à venir.

Earlier this year, the province’s Chief Drinking Water Inspector, Jim Smith — who is with us here today — provided me with his first annual report that stated “Ontarians can have confidence in their drinking water.”
The Centre contributes directly to the safety of drinking water in Ontario by ensuring operators across the province get the classroom training they need both at the entry level and for emerging issues. And now, they will be able to gain hands-on experience operating state-of-the-art equipment.

I want to acknowledge the leadership of the Board of Directors and the expertise of the staff at the Centre — you are helping us meet some of the most important recommendations made by Justice O’Connor, especially the training of operators of drinking water systems throughout the province.

Since January, over 1000 operators have participated in the Centre’s mandatory training programs.

This work is vitally important as it helps ensure that people in every part of the province have access to safe, clean water. It’s critical to our health and prosperity.

I’m looking forward to touring this facility and learning about its great potential to help operators learn about best practices. It will give them hands-on experience with conventional treatment equipment and procedures … and help them learn about some of the leading-edge technologies which are taking treatment to the next level.

More than 15 companies have donated a total of more than 400,000 dollars worth of leading-edge equipment to the Centre. The significance of this facility for drinking water operators is that they will be able to practice trouble-shooting by starting up and shutting down equipment, responding to adverse water quality incidents and making other adjustments, within a learning environment.

Innovation is the cornerstone of the Walkerton Clean Water Centre and this centre is fostering the development of next-generation solutions with a new scholarship program.

In just a few moments we’ll be meeting the first scholarship recipients.

I’d like to briefly mention them:

Omar Alshikh of the University of Windsor is being recognized for research on coagulants used in the treatment of drinking water in cold temperature conditions.

Adam Arnold of the University of Waterloo is receiving a scholarship for his research on an innovative drinking water treatment technology called Pulsed arc electro-hydraulic discharge.

And we’re recognizing Katarina Pintar of the University of Guelph for her research on risks associated with water as a potential exposure route for gastro-enteric disease.

Congratulations to Omar, Adam and Katarina — you are making a vital contribution to drinking water protection in Ontario.

This past April, I came to Walkerton to speak about funding for source protection and about our Clean Water Act.

During the visit, I had the opportunity to see Well 5 for myself and, more importantly, to meet some of the people whose health is still affected, six years later.

I will not let these people down. I keep them in mind as I do everything in my power to protect the drinking water that all Ontarians rely upon.

The proposed Clean Water Act — an environmental milestone for Ontario — is now going to committee.

I want to acknowledge the valuable input that we’ve received during consultations with all stakeholders — including municipalities, farmers and conservation authorities like the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority.

The Clean Water Act is just one component of our government’s plan to ensure that Ontarians have access to drinking water that’s protected and plentiful.

We’re preventing the depletion of water resources through initiatives like the signing of the Great Lakes Charter Annex agreement. This agreement bans diversions and promotes conservation on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border.

We’re also investing in our infrastructure — the pipes and plants that deliver our water safely every day.

I’d like to conclude by mentioning the new research partnership between the Ministry of the Environment and the Walkerton Clean Water Centre.

Together with its partners at the University of Ottawa and the University of Singapore, the Walkerton Clean Water Centre will be studying new membrane treatment technologies … and their potential to remove pharmaceuticals, personal care products and endocrine-disrupting compounds from water.

These substances cover a wide range of chemicals found in consumer products, such as medications, hormones, cosmetics and detergents, as well as in agricultural products.

These chemicals mainly enter the water cycle through human activities and a small number persist through the treatment process and enter drinking water supplies.

We don’t have conclusive scientific evidence on the effect this is having on our health, but we know enough about these chemicals to justify action.

We can’t afford to wait to hear about problems — that’s not acceptable when it comes to people’s health.

We need to protect the most vulnerable among us — the elderly, our children and people with chemical sensitivities.

The Ministry of the Environment is investing 100,000 dollars through its Best in Science Program to support the two-year project.

I’ve outlined for you just a few of the ways our government is meeting its responsibility to protect Ontario’s drinking water.

It’s a responsibility we all share.

We face major challenges and we must meet them with vision, hard work and co-operation.

It will be tough but worth all our efforts.

After all, what is more valuable than healthy citizens, thriving communities and a strong province?

And what could be more satisfying than knowing we did everything we could to ensure the tragedy of Walkerton is not repeated ever again in Ontario?

This is what we owe to you, the people of Walkerton — to never forget what happened here.

The Walkerton Clean Water Centre contributes in a big way — through this new technology demonstration facility, through the scholarships being handed out today, and through innovative research partnerships.

Once again, I want to express my appreciation to Dr. Jasim, Murray Elston, the Board of Directors and everyone at this world-class institute … and to congratulate the first recipients of the Walkerton Clean Water Centre’s new scholarship.

Let’s keep working together. Let’s continue innovating, educating and leading the way for a healthier and better future for Ontario.

Thank you.

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