An NDP Government will create an Ontario Water Strategy, commits Horwath

Today Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath held a roundtable discussion with local residents to discuss the issue of water taking in Ontario and commit to creating a province-wide Water Strategy should the party form government in 2018.

“Water is a public trust.  Under an NDP government, an Ontario Water Strategy will prioritize planning for water needs now and for future generations based on the public interest, and sustainable public access to water,” said Horwath following the roundtable.

An Ontario Water Strategy will be based on the principle that the public should have access to water for drinking, sanitation and food; ensuring that communities have the water needed for planned sustainable growth; the Strategy will create an inventory of water use and return across the Province and will prioritize sustainable long-term water use planning.

On Tuesday Guelph City Council agreed to hear community input regarding bottled water permits in November.

“A particular focus of the NDP’s Water Strategy will be a transparent and public review of the Permit-to-take-Water process, to ensure that the needs of the public come first,” noted Horwath. “This has to be about good stewardship and sustainability. Simply increasing prices isn’t the answer.”