The province has proposed a $500 increase to the fee charged to water bottling companies.
Officials say the new fee of $503.71 for every million litres of water drawn is one of the highest in Canada.
"Ontario is committed to making sure we protect groundwater resources – now and in the future," environment minister Glen Murray stated in a Jan. 18 press release.
"Fair pricing will help ensure those who are benefiting today from water resources do their part to safeguard it for tomorrow."
The province's announcement states the proposed fee would "help recover the costs of managing groundwater taken by water bottlers, including supporting scientific research, policies, outreach and compliance."
However, the new fee will likely do little to ease the concerns of local activists, who will assuredly argue it is anything but "fair."
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.”
The province's proposal 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 Guelph are charged $1.59 per cubic metre or $1,590 per million litres. In Centre Wellington, the numbers are $2.19 per cubic metre or $2,190 per million litres.
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 also pointed out “the entire bottled water industry … uses less than 0.6%” of the water in the Grand River Watershed.
Ontarians can comment on the proposed new fee through the Environmental Registry (#012-9574) until March 20.
They can also comment on proposed new rules for waster bottling companies through the registry (#012-9151) until Jan. 31.
