OFA welcomes opportunity for input
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) welcomes the opportunity to provide input into the Provincial Government’s process for source water protection planning, says OFA President Ron Bonnett. His comments followed the government’s release of a White Paper on ways to protect Ontario’s water from source to tap.
While OFA has provided background input to government officials as they developed the White Paper, it is anxious to present additional thoughts on the topic during the consultations in March intended for agricultural input, Bonnett says.
As she introduced the White Paper and the consultation, Hon. Leona Dombrowsky, Minister of the Environment (MOE), said the province wants to “protect water before it enters our drinking water systems.” The province-wide consultations will “ensure our legislation is fair, practical and effective,” she said.
Minister Dombrowsky said the White Paper proposes an approach for the development of a watershed-based source water protection program that will include how stakeholders and the public will be involved at the local level, and a legislative framework for the development and approval of source water protection plans.
The government is also looking for ways to enhance the management of water taking programs, Minister Dombrowsky’s announcement said.
The consultation sessions will be:
- March 1 in London;
- March 2 in Kitchener-Waterloo;
- March 4 in Peterborough;
- March 5 in Kingston;
- March 8 in Ottawa;
- March 10 in Thunder Bay;
- March 12 in Sudbury; and
- March 23 in Toronto.
Besides the source water protection issues, the consultations will also consider stronger rules for water-taking permits and possible fees for water taken from the groundwater network.
Written comments on the White Paper will be accepted by the MOE until April 12, 2004.
~Ron Bonnett~
President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture