The Ford Conservatives rushed to pass Bill 60, a move the Keep Water Public coalition says will make water less safe and less affordable for all Ontarians.
Keep Water Public is a campaign opposing legislation that erodes public health protections and provides corporate control of Ontario’s water system. The Conservative’s omnibus Bill 60 turns water into a commodity by creating private water companies incorporated under the Business Corporations Act that will have a legal requirement to pursue profit.
“Ontario’s water is safe and affordable because it’s accountable to all of us. When you introduce profit into the equation, safety inevitably comes second,” said Dru Jay, Executive Director of the Council of Canadians. “Privatized water has been a disaster, and this government just fast tracked a bill that will undermine the confidence Ontarians feel when they turn on a faucet.”
The Ford Conservatives used a procedural tactic to limit debate. Bill 60 was “time allocated” which gives the government tremendous control to bypass committee comment and silence opposition and community voices. In total, less than 10 hours of debate time were dedicated to a bill that will determine the future of Ontario’s water.
“The government rushed this bill through because they know it’s unpopular. Ontarians care deeply about the safety of our water, the health of their families and communities, and the wellbeing of the natural environment” said Dr. Samantha Green, president-elect of Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. “Privatization and deregulation put communities at risk – and the public had no real opportunity to weigh in before Bill 60 became law.”
Together, Bills 60, 56, and 68 undermine source water protection by amalgamating Ontario’s 36 Conservation Authorities into 7; dismantle protections enacted following the Walkerton disaster in the Clean Water Act; and provide corporate control of water.
“Public water systems are essential for environmental stewardship and community health. The government’s rushed approach undermines both, giving corporations undue influence while eroding local knowledge, watershed planning, and protections and safeguard our environment,” said Andrés Jiménez Monge, executive director of Ontario Nature.
“Walkerton taught us that cuts, deregulation, and privatization have deadly consequences,” said Fred Hahn, president of CUPE Ontario. “The Ford Conservatives can call it whatever they want, but the language of Bill 60 makes it clear that they are privatizing our water. They held debate at night when people weren’t watching and made it impossible for people to comment so they could fast track a disastrous law that prioritizes their corporate agenda over the safety and affordability of water for all Ontarians.”