June 8, 2017 (Toronto) – Ontario bottled water permits account for only 0.001% (one-thousandth of one percent) of the 377 trillion litres of total annual permitted water withdrawal amounts covered by active Ontario Permits to Take Water.[1] As an industry, we work diligently to manage water resources in an environmentally responsible way. The charges for water use in Ontario are set by the government and are currently applied on a small subset of Ontario industrial and commercial water users.[2] Ontario’s permitted withdrawals for bottled water remain a small fraction of the total, while larger water users pay no fees for the water they take, for example: construction, golf course irrigation, mining, pulp and paper, and tobacco growers. As outlined in its decision notice, CBA is encouraged that the Ontario government is conducting a broader review of its programs and policies as they apply to all water takers.[3] We look forward to continue working with the government to safeguard groundwater in a manner consistent across industries, and proportionate to the amount taken and environmental impact.
[1] Based on currently active permits listed in Ontario Ministry of Environment Excel database file at https://files.ontario.ca/moe_mapping/downloads/2Water/PermitToTakeWater [accessed 2016/08/23]
[2] Government of Ontario, Water taking report and charges https://www.ontario.ca/page/water-taking-report-and-charges
[3] Environmental Registry Decision Notice, June 8, 2017 https://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-External/displaynoticecontent.do?noticeId=MTMxNTQw&statusId=MjAxNzE3