1. Implementing Legislation:Introduced into the House on April 4, 2007, The Safeguarding and Sustaining Ontario 's Water Act received Royal Assent on June 4, 2007. The Act amends the existing Ontario Water Resources Act to implement the key obligations outlined in the Agreement, including:
- Elevating Ontario 's existing ban on inter-basin transfers from regulation to legislation;
- Bans new or increased transfers of water from one Great Lake watershed to another (i.e., intra-basin transfers);
- Permits reciprocal judicial review of Ontario water withdrawal and transfer decisions to the other nine Great Lake jurisdictions; and,
- Provides the regulation-making authority needed to ensure the continued implementation of the Agreement.
Find out more:
Backgrounder (June 1, 2007)
2. Aboriginal Engagement:
The Anishinabek Nation and the Ministry of Natural Resources have signed a memorandum of understanding that commits both parties to work together on the implementation of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement. The memorandum of understanding was signed by Minister of Natural Resources David Ramsay, and Grand Council Chief John Beaucage on behalf of 42 Anishinabek Nation communities, on March 27, 2007. This memorandum complements other on-going efforts towards engagement of First Nation communities in Ontario.
Find out more:
UOI-Ontario MOU on Great Lakes NR-2
UOI-Ontario MOU on Great Lakes BG-2
3. Draft Regional Water Conservation and Efficiency Objectives:
The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement commits the 10 Great Lakes jurisdictions to develop basin-wide water conservation objectives to guide the development of water conservation programs in each state and province. To meet this commitment, a regional water conservation committee was established with representation from each state and province. Input was also provided by Ontario’s Annex Advisory Panel, regional stakeholders, First Nations and Tribes.
A draft set of regional objectives was posted for public comment on the Council of Great Lakes' Governors website in the spring of 2007. In September 2007 Ontario posted a revised set of objectives to the Environmental Bill of Rights Registry for public comment. Following an analysis of the comments received, and consultation with the Annex Advisory Panel, Ontario supported the revised objectives. A notice of this decision has been posted to the Environmental Bill of Rights Registry (EBR #010-1447).
On December 4th 2007 final Regional Water Conservation and Efficiency Objectives were adopted by the Regional Body. Ontario has now turned its attention to developing provincial water conservation and efficiency goals, objectives and programs, through a provincial work group led by the Ministry of the Environment and through the engagement of the Annex Advisory Panel, water users and Ontario First Nations.
4. Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Regional Body:
The regional body coordinates the collaborative efforts of the Great Lakes states and provinces under the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement. Membership is comprised of the premier or governor of each of the ten Great Lakes provinces and states, or a person designated by each of them. On December 13, 2006, Premier McGuinty was appointed chair of the regional body for 2007.
The primary functions of the regional body under the agreement are to:
- establish a process to oversee the "regional review" of water diversion proposals by the ten jurisdictions and declare whether they meet the environmental standard set out in the agreement;
- Oversee development of regional water conservation goals and objectives to guide states and provinces in developing programs;
- Review water management and conservation programs of each jurisdiction;
- Monitor and report on the implementation of the agreement;
- Establish mechanisms to strengthen Tribes and First Nations engagement.
On June 27, 2007, the Regional Body was pleased to announce the launch of its new website at http://www.glslregionalbody.org/. Information about the Regional Body, including its membership, meeting information, and resolutions can be found on its new site. As well, up to date information on the implementation status of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement and the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact can be found.
5. A Collaborative Approach to Implementation:
Ontario is pursuing a collaborative framework to implement its commitments under the agreement, consisting of three inter-ministerial work groups:
- The Legislation, Regulation and Agreement Administration Work Group is assisting with the development of legislative, regulatory, policy and program changes that are required to implement Ontario’s commitments under the agreement.
- The Water Conservation and Efficiency Work Group is providing input into the development of basin-wide conservation objectives and will in the future assist in the development of the province’s water conservation and efficiency goals, objectives and program.
- The Information and Science Work Group is undertaking a review of the current state of information and science in the province and is providing input and leadership in the development of a collaborative regional science strategy.
Ontario also continues to consult with its Annex Advisory Panel, which it established in December 2004, to ensure that key stakeholders and experts are fully engaged during implementation of the agreement. Ontario is also developing a First Nations Engagement Strategy to ensure Aboriginal interests are considered during implementation.
For more information, contact:
Paula Thompson, Senior Policy Advisor
Water Resources Section, Lands and Waters Branch
Ministry of Natural Resources
300 Water Street, P.O. Box 7000
Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 8M5
PHONE: (705) 755-1218
FAX: (705) 755-1267
