(From sitting for 5 December, 2002)

MEMBERS STATEMENTS

WATER EXTRACTION

Mr James J. Bradley (St Catharines): Intense lobbying by Perth-based OMYA Canada Inc appears to have left the company poised to increase its industrial water consumption by 500% and to eclipse the limits set by a recent environmental tribunal. If it gets the green light from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Minister Chris Stockwell, OMYA will soon be allowed to pump 4,500 cubic metres of water a day from the Tay River. The proposed intake amount is equal to that used by all 6,000 residents, businesses and civic facilities in Perth.

Today Lanark county citizens called on the Ontario Minister of the Environment to uphold the recommendations of the Walkerton inquiry report when he makes his decision on a controversial water-taking appeal involving the Tay River near Perth. After a two-year struggle in February 2002, permanent and seasonal residents in the Tay River watershed won an Environmental Review Tribunal decision to restrict the volume of water-taking from the Tay River by the company. The tribunal decision restricted the company to taking 1.5 million litres of water a day from the Tay River, one third of the original volume sought by the company. OMYA appealed this decision to the Minister of the Environment, Chris Stockwell, asking him to triple the water-taking to 4.5 million litres per day.

The Tay River Defence appellants were shocked to learn in late November that the Ministry of the Environment, which had initially agreed to the tribunal's decision to restrict the water-taking, had reversed its position and is urging Minister Stockwell to accept the company demands.

It sounds like political pressure to me, and that political pressure should be resisted.

WATER EXTRACTION

Ms Marilyn Churley (Toronto-Danforth): A multi-national corporation, OMYA, applied to have their water-taking increase from 1.5 million litres per day to a whopping 4.5 million litres per day. The ministry issued an order to allow the expanded water-taking, but the citizens who live near the Tay River, some of whom are here today, were concerned that this amount of water taken from the river would threaten its viability, so they appealed the decision to the Environmental Review Tribunal. The tribunal, on recommendation from the minister's staff, agreed with the citizens that they should not be allowed to take that amount of water per day. The tribunal ordered that the company's water-taking be restricted to 1.5 million litres per day. It also laid out conditions that it should have an independent auditor make sure the water-taking didn't exceed the permit. But OMYA wanted more and they've appealed to both the minister and the courts to overturn the decision and give them the water they asked for. The CEO of OMYA wrote a threatening letter to the government saying that if it didn't give in to their demands, they might have to reassess their "investment and production plans" in Ontario.

The Environmental Review Tribunal stated that before there was an increase in water taken from the Tay, there should be a water budget done so the impact could be assessed. That has not been done. Justice O'Connor recommended the same thing. This government has not done anything on source protection. I appeal to the minister to not give in to the corporation's demand here and to do the right thing.

(Time note: 13:40)

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