Media Release
Dec 16 2018
Toronto – Today the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA), which represented the Concerned Walkerton Citizens at the Walkerton Inquiry, released a detailed legal analysis (and associated briefing note) raising the alarm about the Ontario Government’s proposed Bill 66 (Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, 2018). CELA’s analysis focuses on drinking water safety and human health, and calls upon the government to withdraw key portions of Bill 66 in order to safeguard the public interest.
“In our view, this Bill cannot be acceptable to the people of Ontario, given the lessons we all learned from the Walkerton tragedy and the ensuing Inquiry” said Theresa McClenaghan, CELA Executive Director and Counsel. “We learned that we can never take drinking water safety for granted, and that stringent, clear, unambiguous protections are necessary to ensure that we don’t ever have a repeat of the terrible events that unfolded in Walkerton in May 2000.”
If enacted, Schedule 10 of Bill 66 will amend the Planning Act to enable municipalities to pass “open-for-business planning by-laws” aimed at facilitating new major development in order to create employment. However, Schedule 10 provides that these by-laws do not have to comply with important environmental protections and land use controls established under other provincial laws, plans and policies, such as the Greenbelt Act, 2005 and Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act, 2001.
Alarmingly, Schedule 10 also provides that section 39 of the Clean Water Act, 2006 (CWA) does not apply to an open-for-business planning by-law. The CWA was passed in response to the Walkerton tragedy, and section 39 requires provincial and municipal decisions to conform to policies in CWA-approved source protection plans that address significant drinking water threats.
Schedule 10’s exclusion of section 39 of the CWA means that these by-laws can approve development in vulnerable areas that may threaten surface water and groundwater used by municipal drinking water systems, which serve 80 per cent of Ontarians.
“Schedule 10 of Bill 66 is an unwarranted and potentially risky proposal,” said CELA lawyer Richard Lindgren. “The Schedule’s attempt to bypass significant threat policies in approved source protection plans across Ontario is contrary to key recommendations from the Walkerton Inquiry.”
“‘Open for business’ should not mean slamming the door on CWA plans and best practices that ensure the safety of drinking water,” said CELA Board member Bruce Davidson, who served as the Chair of Concerned Walkerton Citizens during the Walkerton Inquiry. “Bill 66 fails to recognize that source protection committees, comprised of local stakeholders and technical experts, have developed plans that protect drinking water sources and allow communities to thrive economically.”
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CELA’s legal analysis is available at: https://www.cela.ca/publications/legal-analysis-schedule10-ONBill66
CELA’s briefing note is available online at: https://www.cela.ca/publications/briefing-note-ONbill66-and-cleanwateract2006
For more information, or to arrange an interview, please contact:
• Theresa McClenaghan (416-960-2284, ext. 7219), theresa@cela.ca
• Richard Lindgren (613-385-1686), r.lindgren@sympatico.ca
• Bruce Davidson (519-881-0884), cwc@bmts.com
Media Release: New report by Walkerton citizens’ lawyers finds Bill 66 threatens Ontario’s drinking water
Media Release
Toronto – Today the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA), which represented the Concerned Walkerton Citizens at the Walkerton Inquiry, released a detailed legal analysis (and associated briefing note) raising the alarm about the Ontario Government’s proposed Bill 66 (Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, 2018). CELA’s analysis focuses on drinking water safety and human health, and calls upon the government to withdraw key portions of Bill 66 in order to safeguard the public interest.
“In our view, this Bill cannot be acceptable to the people of Ontario, given the lessons we all learned from the Walkerton tragedy and the ensuing Inquiry” said Theresa McClenaghan, CELA Executive Director and Counsel. “We learned that we can never take drinking water safety for granted, and that stringent, clear, unambiguous protections are necessary to ensure that we don’t ever have a repeat of the terrible events that unfolded in Walkerton in May 2000.”
If enacted, Schedule 10 of Bill 66 will amend the Planning Act to enable municipalities to pass “open-for-business planning by-laws” aimed at facilitating new major development in order to create employment. However, Schedule 10 provides that these by-laws do not have to comply with important environmental protections and land use controls established under other provincial laws, plans and policies, such as the Greenbelt Act, 2005 and Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act, 2001.
Alarmingly, Schedule 10 also provides that section 39 of the Clean Water Act, 2006 (CWA) does not apply to an open-for-business planning by-law. The CWA was passed in response to the Walkerton tragedy, and section 39 requires provincial and municipal decisions to conform to policies in CWA-approved source protection plans that address significant drinking water threats.
Schedule 10’s exclusion of section 39 of the CWA means that these by-laws can approve development in vulnerable areas that may threaten surface water and groundwater used by municipal drinking water systems, which serve 80 per cent of Ontarians.
“Schedule 10 of Bill 66 is an unwarranted and potentially risky proposal,” said CELA lawyer Richard Lindgren. “The Schedule’s attempt to bypass significant threat policies in approved source protection plans across Ontario is contrary to key recommendations from the Walkerton Inquiry.”
“‘Open for business’ should not mean slamming the door on CWA plans and best practices that ensure the safety of drinking water,” said CELA Board member Bruce Davidson, who served as the Chair of Concerned Walkerton Citizens during the Walkerton Inquiry. “Bill 66 fails to recognize that source protection committees, comprised of local stakeholders and technical experts, have developed plans that protect drinking water sources and allow communities to thrive economically.”
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CELA’s legal analysis is available at: https://www.cela.ca/publications/legal-analysis-schedule10-ONBill66
CELA’s briefing note is available online at: https://www.cela.ca/publications/briefing-note-ONbill66-and-cleanwateract2006
For more information, or to arrange an interview, please contact:
• Theresa McClenaghan (416-960-2284, ext. 7219), theresa@cela.ca
• Richard Lindgren (613-385-1686), r.lindgren@sympatico.ca
• Bruce Davidson (519-881-0884), cwc@bmts.com
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