Feature Article May 20, 2004
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Task force on Safe Drinking Water cold comfort for tourism advocates
Proposed changes to the Safe Drinking Water act as it applies to small municipalities, small restaurants, motels, churches, and even Bed & Breakfasts, have fallen short of the hopes of tourism advocates, leaving them waiting for the findings of a newly established task force on the issue.
In an announcement last Wednesday, the Ministry of the Environment (MoE), said The ministry has heard from rural municipalities and operators of non-municipal drinking water systems about its impact on their ability to continue to provide services to their clients, and has proposed amendments to the Drinking Water Systems Regulation which respond to these concerns and give the ministry time to consult over the summer months with rural municipalities and operators of non-municipal drinking water systems, medical officers of health and health officials on making the regulation more workable.
At this point, the MoE has merely extended timelines for compliance with the act as it pertains to small municipal and non-municipal, non-residential water systems. As the result of the changes, town halls and community centres will have until the end of this year before they must begin carrying out the testing regimens required by the act, and motels, resorts, restaurants and other businesses will have until the middle of next year to notify the ministry of their intention to comply or apply for relief from the act.
In the interim, small municipalities and organisations representing tourism operators must wait to see what the new task force comes up with to make the act less onerous.
Bruce Gravel, President of the Ontario Accommodation Association, which is based in Peterborough, expressed disappointment with the announcement on behalf of his membership. The cost issues have not been addressed, and although we give credit to the ministry for setting up a task force to look at the cost issues, we note that no one will be sitting on that task force that represents the people who will have to pay to comply with this water act - an act which is a solution to a problem that does not exist, in our view, Bruce Gravel said. The Ontario Accommodation Association has 1100 members across Ontario.
The 14-member task force includes several water consultants, several engineers and scientists, but no representatives of the business or small municipal worlds.
The cost of complying with Regulation 170/03 for small water systems typical of small churches, Bed & Breakfasts and Motels that have good water could run as much as $10,000, and weekly testing could add a yearly bill that may run into the thousands.
And this comes after the worst year ever for tourism operators, Bruce Gravel said, so adding an extra cost like this on top of property assessment increases and insurance cost hikes that have come about recently, is not something tourism operators can handle.
Gravel also points out that Environment Minister Dombrowsky has said nothing thus far about government funding to help businesses, or church congregations, to comply with the law.
This government, and the previous one, both said they are committed to following all of the recommendations of the OConner inquiry, but nothing has been done about regulation 84, which says that the government should support those that cant afford to comply with the Act. We are waiting for that, Gravel said.
