MOE response to water fears has lunitics

running asylum

Terrorists granted more civil liberties than rural church
leaders and volunteers using MOE 'logic' on water safety

By Bob Mckinley

The lunatics are firmly in control of the asylum at the Ontario Ministry of the Environment.

The Walkerton inquiry presided over by Justice O’Connor concluded that "source protection is a missing element in ensuring Ontario's water supply." The Minister’s subsequent "White Paper" response acknowledges the need for source protection plans to be implemented locally for every watershed, in order to place safe clean livable communities in a "priority" position in Ontario.  

Here’s how they are doing so far.

Regulation 170/03 to The Safe Drinking Water Act remains in full force, despite overwhelming public pressure to repeal or substantially modify it. The regulation is designed to subject every rural religious institution, service club, recreational association and small business to unnecessary and unaffordable supervision, testing and capital investment even though the wells have a proven history of providing safe well water to the public.

The regulation also empowers its enforcers to subject facilities owned by these institutions to search and seizure without benefit of a warrant or court order. The Ministry therefore ranks the civil liberties of rural volunteers, and church leaders below those of criminals or terrorists.

The Regulation which, also applies the municipal systems, is being implemented. The City of Ottawa, which contains more rural area than any other city in Ontario, owns 103 facilities served by wells. The city has identified seven as needing some form of treatment and is dealing with them. Although the remaining safe systems are subject to the scrutiny of the office of the Medical Officer of Health, the Minister still requires that the regulation be implemented at a capital cost of $1.2 Million and an annual operating expense of $ 500,000.00.

Well done Leona!!

I trust your rural constituents will properly reward you in the next provincial election.

While the Ministry is “protecting” our safe water supply, it has refused to step in and protect the Village of Richmond, where a substantial risk to thousands of residents has been clearly documented. Those residents will soon see untreated sewage pumped under pressure through a new sewer being built by the City of Ottawa within meters of hundreds of shallow private wells.

The community’s efforts to protect itself began with an appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board in 2001. After hearing extensive evidence, the OMB refused to accept the city position that the system would be safe, and directed it to retain an independent consultant to re-evaluate its options for the proposed pipe line and an on-site treatment facility, which would pose no threat to Richmond.

The independent review recommended against the pipe line.

Strike two.

Undaunted, staff at the Ministry and the city still “deem” the system to be safe because pipes never fail. It’s proven technology. The fact that the sewer's first phase currently in use, has repeatedly ruptured, spewing raw sewage undetected into the aquifer for weeks at time, hasn’t raised an eyebrow.

When I first heard of this case, I couldn’t understand how a sophisticated municipal council could knowingly subject its residents to such obvious risk.

I was horrified when I read the staff report recommending approval of the pipeline. It makes no mention of the pipes prior failures. Funding has now been approved and construction is underway.

The story doesn’t end here.

Recently, Ottawa’s "Big Pipe" guys were promoting another forcemain that would pump toxic waste from the city dump through an urban residential community, served by piped water.  Ottawa council did the right thing this time, rejecting the proposed pipeline in favour of an on-site treatment plant.

Why the change in heart?

This time they knew about the failing pipes in Richmond.

One can only wonder what would happen had the Minister not placed “safe, clean livable communities" in a priority position in Ontario.

Bob McKinley is the president of the Ottawa Rural Council
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