Council here is backing a resolution calling on the province to abandon plans to require property owners to pump out septic tanks every five years.
Council supported a resolution from the United Townships of Head, Clara and Maria calling on Minister of Municipal Affairs Bill Mauro, to rescind proposed Building code change B-08-09-03.
“Most of rural Ontario and much of small town, urban Ontario use septic systems. The variables affecting the need to pump out a septic tank are quite numerous,” states a letter from Head, Clara and Maria Mayor Jim Gibson.
“Those who operate their systems carefully can go for many more years than five without pumping the septic tank because the variables are in their favour. This proposed change in these cases is fixing something that is not broken. Creating regulation to force people to pay for a redundant, unnecessary service is incomprehensible.
“Many municipalities have septic tank pump out bylaws that address potential problem areas with malfunctioning septic systems and the need for these bylaws have been driven by local circumstance to address local potential problems and not by any universally-applied directive from the province.”
Gibson added, “In many cases, the drivers of these regulations are cottager associations, conservation authorities and municipalities who are acting to preserve lake and river water quality and they have done so of their own accord and not by any regulation from the province.”
Councillor Lori Woodham requested the correspondence be put on the agenda.
“In looking at this, if things are broken why do we need to fix them?” she wondered.
