Municipal councillors in Ontario will be legally responsible for local water supplies under Safe Drinking Water Act legislation that goes into effect on Jan. 1.
Mapleton councillor Mike Downey wants to ensure councillors here are ready for the change.
“Have we done anything to get trained on this?” he asked at the Aug. 14 council meeting.
Mayor Bruce Whale responded there was some training given to councillors two years ago, as part of their orientation sessions.
Downey said he raised the issue after reading an article in an area Newspaper outlining the new responsibilities.
He suggested councillors should have some more intensive training than what has been provided so far.
“We should be going to Walkerton, to the water centre,” he said, in reference to the Walkerton Clean Water Centre, a research and training centre set up in the wake of the Walkerton water crisis in 2000.
Clerk Patty Sinnamon explained that under the new legislation, staff are still responsible for operating the water system.
“As councillors, you are responsible to see that we follow all the regulations,” she said.
Whale said council should look into further training possibilities in preparation for the increased responsibility.
Under the new legislation, councillors are obligated, as owners and operators of the system, to be responsible for the local water system.
That responsibility includes being informed about water system operations and issues, although they are not expected to become experts.
Sinnamon also advised council the municipality’s contract with the Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) to operate the local system expires in December.
She said township staff are currently researching options for future operation of the local system.
