Ontario imposes 2-year hold on bottled water business
Ontario is proposing a two-year hold on the creation or expansion of bottled water plants as the government moves to strengthen the rules around water taking permits.
The Canadian Press has learned the province plans to impose stricter scientific requirements for water taking permits such as studies on the cumulative impact of the practice on local supplies, especially during droughts.
A source familiar with the announcement says the Liberals also want more public transparency, and will mandate that companies create websites listing information about their water taking permits and showing the actual amounts taken every week.
However, there will not be any immediate increase in the $3.71 the province charges for every one million litres of water taken, which the source says the government is still reviewing.
