The province has announced that a $500 increase to the fee charged to water bottling companies will take effect this summer.
Starting on Aug. 1, water bottlers will pay $503.71 for every million litres of groundwater taken.
"As the impacts from climate change become more prevalent, Ontario is taking action to ensure water resources are better protected and that we have the best science available,” environment minister Glen Murray stated in a press release.
“This increased fee, along with the other measures we’ve taken, will help increase groundwater protection and scientific understanding of how to best manage this vital resource."
Provincial officials state the new fee, originally proposed in January, is one of the highest in Canada.
It marks a huge increase over the current fee of $3.71 per million litres of water drawn (companies also pay permit fees ranging from $750 to $3,000 depending on the assessed risk to the environment).
In comparison, municipal water users in Centre Wellington are charged $2.19 per cubic metre or $2,190 per million litres.
Officials say the new $503 fee is a part of the province’s “strong protections for groundwater,” which also include:
– a moratorium on new and expanded permits for water bottling;
– stricter rules for renewals of existing permits; and
– research on long-term water protection that considers climate change and future demand; and
– engagement with Indigenous partners, communities and industry.
Dr. Robert Case of the Wellington Water Watchers has stated the debate about groundwater resources "will not be resolved by simply increasing these levies …
"No amount of money will keep water in the ground for our future needs, especially in the context of climate change.”
Officials with Nestle Waters Canada have stated they "fully agree that all groundwater users should pay their fair share to fund the management of our water resources."
The company, which operates commercial wells in Aberfoyle and Erin and has proposed a third Wellington well near Elora, has stated “the entire bottled water industry … uses less than 0.6%” of the water in the Grand River Watershed.
