ABERFOYLE – White Wolf Property Management Inc. held its first stakeholder meeting since taking over the wells in Aberfoyle and Hillsburgh from Blue Triton Canada.
Puslinch Township hydrogeologist Stan Denhoed attended a virtual meeting on Nov. 18 and reported to council on Dec. 17 that White Wolf seems to be following the same procedures as Blue Triton, but with less openness and transparency.
White Wolf, bought the wells in January 2025 and took over Blue Triton’s water taking permit in October, meaning there were 10 months when the wells were offline.
“That’s never happened before, and we want to get that information,” Denhoed said, referring to new baseline information.
White Wolf is owned by James and Alexandra Gott, who also own of Ice River Springs Water Co. Inc., which is based in Shelburne and bottles water for major retailers.
The White Wolf permit is the same as Blue Triton’s, “so we have the same issues with the permit to take water, the same concerns,” Denhoed said, including the company’s low-water response.
When water levels are low, water taking permit holders are to cut back water use to 80 per cent.
But the company says it only draws at 60% of what is permitted and is therefore unaffected in these circumstances.
“I find that disingenuous,” Denhoed said. “If there’s low water, there’s stress on the creek.
“There should be something done about it.
“And I have concerns for the long-term water quality of the lower aquifer.”
Denhoed said Wellington Water Watchers also attended the meeting and asked questions about water quality, “but they (White Wolf) would not discuss it.”
Denhoed said there was no discussion about the company’s future plans either, including whether it intends to bottle water in Aberfoyle, as Blue Triton and Nestle Waters did before.
Mayor James Seeley said he understands that all water bottling equipment was removed by Blue Triton, so he wondered what the water is being used for.
“If bottling has ceased, then we have larger concerns with the permit renewal,” slated for October 2026, he said.
Seeley also said he thought a farmhouse at the front of the property has been severed and he wanted to be sure access to the monitoring wells would remain.
“The permit dictates where the monitoring wells are located,” Denhoed replied.
“It’s fine until it’s not fine,” Seeley countered, adding he’d like it to be a condition of the next permit that access to the monitoring wells be maintained.
Council also asked staff to find out who the “point person” is at White Wolf.
Blue Triton’s natural resources manager Andreanne Simard was always accessible and responsive, Denhoed said.
White Wolf hasn’t supplied a name for its equivalent. Council received the report for information.
