Municipal Monitor - May/June 2008 - (Page 18)

“The intent of the Clean Water Act was to protect sources of municipal water.” Ian Smith stressed that source protection committees will be advised and instructed to actively engage with property owners as the source protection plan is being developed. “The goal is that when the plan comes in for approval, the property owner will have been consulted…hopefully leading to voluntary implementation,” says Smith. If, however, negotiations break down, municipalities will have the authority to enforce the contents of the plan in order to protect their water supplies. Similarly, for those operations that have provincial certificates of approval, if an operation is found to be a threat to drinking water, the Clean Water Act requires that the province amend the certificate of approval to conform to the plan, so that the province has an enforcement role in some instances. Smith says the province will be going out over the next couple of months to consult on the second (of four) groups of draft regulations, so municipal staff will have an opportunity to comment on, in particular, the Assessment Report regulation that will direct how risk to water supplies is to be calculated. Who Pays? Who pays for implementation is the question on everybody’s mind. The Drinking Water Stewardship Program provides $7 million a year for four years to support implementation but whether that support will continue, expire or increase, is not known. Smith expects consultations on the various groups of regulations will be focused on the “who pays?” issue. Those discussions will take place from fall 2008 into winter 2009. “Overall, we think apart from the pipes and pumps any municipal costs for source water are likely to be small, but we don’t know yet,” says Smith. “Municipalities should be aware that Sustaining Ontario’s Water Supply authorizes municipalities to do full cost pricing for water, which can include their costs for protecting the sources.” Smith does note that while many municipalities have taken the position that water is a provincial resource and that municipalities and their taxpayers shouldn’t be paying to protect it, “the municipality already charges for piping, pumping, treating and delivering that water so why wouldn’t the municipality also contribute to its protection?” The bottom line, Smith says, is that municipalities should be engaged in the process. “By being engaged they can exert a strong influence over the outcome,” says Smith. “This program is for their own municipal water supply so it’s in their best interests to pay attention. The real work is done locally. People in Cornwall listen to people in Cornwall, not Toronto.” ◆ ONTARIO HERITAGE TOOL KIT HERITAGE PROPERTY EVALUATION A Guide to Listing, Researching and Evaluating Cultural Heritage Property in Ontario Communities DESIGNATING HERITAGE PROPERTIES A Guide to Municipal Designation of Individual Properties Under the Ontario Heritage Act HERITAGE CONSERVATION DISTRICTS A Guide to District Designation Under the Ontario Heritage Act YOUR COMMUNITY, YOUR HERITAGE, YOUR COMMITTEE A Guide to Establishing and Sustaining an Effective Municipal Heritage Committee HERITAGE RESOURCES IN THE LAND USE PLANNING PROCESS Cultural Heritage & Archaeology Policies of the Ontario Provincial Policy Statement, 2005 Electronic copies of these guides are available at www.culture.gov.on.ca. Printed copies can be ordered, individually or as a set, through Publications Ontario Publications Ontario at: 1-800-668-9938 Toll Free in Canada or (416) 326-5300. For more information on the Ontario Heritage Act or conserving your community heritage, contact: Ministry of Culture 900 Bay Street, 4th Floor, Mowat, Toronto, ON M7A 1C2 Tel: 1-866-454-0049 • (416) 212-0644 • Email: General_Info@mcl.gov.on.ca municipal 370925_OMC.indd 1 18 · MONITOR 3/3/08 11:40:53 PM May/June 2008 http://www.culture.gov.on.ca/english/index.html

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Municipal Monitor - May/June 2008

Municipal Monitor - May/June 2008 Contents President's Message: On Messages and Milestones Viewpoint: Much Ado About Nothing? Again Mapping the North: Municipalities Team Up to Create Sophisticated Geographic Information System The Clean Water Act: Let's Make it Perfectly Clear Developing Trend: Communication is Essential During Large-Scale Projects Water Under the Bridge Municpal Memos Index to Advertisers

Municipal Monitor - May/June 2008

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