Ontario water isn't being priced fairly, says Environment Minister Glen Murray

Environment Minister Glen Murray says Ontario water isn't being priced fairly and urges the public to'help us write the new rules' as the province looks to revamp its decades-old regulationsaround commercial water use.

His comments followa proposed two-year freezeby the province that would preventOntario'sbottled water companies from using groundwater for their bottling operationsas the government looks to develop a new set of standards that would requirethe companies to scientificallyprove their operations would not affect local water supplies.

The freeze could go into effect later this year, but itwouldn't apply to bottled water companies that use amunicipal drinking water system.

• Ontario imposes 2-year hold on bottled water business

The issue has been heightened aftera summer with little to no rain in Ontario's heartland, one that's left fields parched, lawns yellowed and some tempers white-hot as Nestle Waters Canada continues to draw millions of litres of water daily from local aquifersat a fraction of a penny per bottle.

• Amid drought, environmentalists want Nestl to stop water taking in Aberfoyle, Ont.

"I don't think it reflects the value [of water]," Murray told The Morning Edition host Craig Norris in an interview on CBC K-W Tuesday. "I think we have to start looking at how much we commodify water and when it is being sold as a commodity commercially, it has to reflectthat choice and that sale."

Ontario water dirt cheap

Right now Ontario water is dirt cheap, so long as you don't use it to water your lawn.

Nestle, like all commercial users, pays just $3.71 for each 1,000,000 litres of water it takes and, although it agreed to voluntarily reduce its water consumption during this summer's record drought, the company was under no legal requirement to do so.

Compare that to the average homeowner in nearby Guelph, who, even in October, still risks a $130 fine for watering their lawn,as the city continues to impose the strictest water restrictions possible under its bylaws.

The clear dichotomy between the water rights of people and companies is a growing source of frustrationamong environmentalists,who held arallyoutside Guelph City hall last monthdemanding local representatives urge the province to yank Nestle's permit to privately bottle and sell what's seen as a publicresource.

• Anti-Nestl rally in Guelph unites people of all ages against 'bad use of our water'

More local control, with a catch

"I want to look at expanding the role of source water protection of our conservation authorities andmunicipalitiesto better be able to manage regional resources," Murray said, acknowledging that dichotomy.

"You have to understand we have a lot of national andinternational trade regulation on this, which makes it challenging for municipalities and for the province to make sure we're doing the right thing and doing it in a way that will make sure it will not be overturned legally."

Murray said the water situation in Wellington County this past summer will only become exacerbated, pointing to provincial climate change models projecting more frequent dry summers that will makewater and food security "major issues" within the next decade.

'This is a major employer'

He also acknowledged that while change is coming, it will come slowly, noting Nestle Waters Canada employs hundreds of people and contributes significantly to the economyofAberfoyleand surrounding towns.

"This is a major employer," he said. "Any transition into a new system has to be sensitive to that."

In the meantime, the province's bottled-water industry has essentially become bottled itselfunder a two-year moratorium that forbids companies from creating new or expanding existing operations while Ontario works out new rules.

Murray encouraged people who are interested in the future of Ontario's waterto get involved.

"We live in a democracy, this is your chance to help write policy for the government," he said. "Submit your proposals and help us write the new rules."