Gold Mountain Springs Inc. - Permit to take water

Comments relevant to the water taking proposal were considered as part of the review of the application. The main concerns raised were regarding the following:

• three comments received identifying concern with the sale/commodification of water by the bottle water industry

Over the past years, the ministry has thoroughly reviewed the province’s water taking policies, programs and science tools and held an independent third-party review of the findings on bottled water takings, which was completed by a panel of experts from Professional Geoscientists Ontario.

Ontario has strengthened groundwater protection by:

1. Enhancing Ontario’s water taking program through regulatory amendments and providing new guidance to help permit holders to understand the new rules and how to operate within them
2. Giving host municipalities more direct input on allowing bottled water companies to withdraw new or increased amounts of groundwater in their communities
3. Charging a water bottling fee for water bottling companies that take groundwater, effective August 1, 2017
4. Hiring an experienced water resources consulting firm, BluMetric Environmental Inc., to assess water resources in the province, in addition to our own ongoing review and analysis of water taking in Ontario
5. Validating the ministry’s findings on water bottling through an independent third-party panel from the Professional Geoscientists Ontario

In Ontario, water bottling facilities must apply for permits to take water from groundwater sources if the facility plans to take more than 50,000 litres of water on any day.

Groundwater is water held underground in the soil or in pores and crevices in rock. It supplies water in wells and some streams, lakes and wetlands.

Ontario is committed to protecting water resources for families now and for future generations. It’s even more important as our population grows, and during hot conditions and periods of drought, which are projected to become more frequent because of climate change.

The independent third-party review validated our findings that water takings for bottling are managed sustainably in Ontario under existing legislation, regulation and guidance and are not impacting the sustainability of groundwater resources.

• two comments received identifying concern with plastic waste associated with the water bottling industry

The ministry is working to address the issue of plastic waste and litter by ensuring that plastics are recovered or recycled so that this valuable resource does not get sent to landfills or released into our environment.

Ontario’s approach to reducing litter and waste was set out in the Reducing Litter and Waste in Our Communities Discussion Paper (https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/013-4689) which built on the commitments made in the Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan. The Plan and the Discussion Paper include real actions to reduce the amount of waste that is sent to landfills or becomes litter.

A key action currently underway involves transitioning the Blue Box Program to full producer responsibility. On June 3, 2021, the government finalized the Blue Box regulation which will make producers of products and packaging fully responsible for the cost and operation of the program. The regulation will make recycling easier for Ontarians by collecting more products and packaging, including single-use items that are distributed or sold to consume food and beverage products, like stir sticks, straws, cutlery, plates and food service ware. The new framework also requires producers of products and packaging to achieve diversion targets and to report annually on supply, collection and management of materials.

In particular, the Blue Box regulation sets aggressive targets for the collection of all beverage containers sold in Ontario, including plastic water bottles. This will significantly increase the collection and recycling of beverage containers while helping reduce litter.

• one comment identified concerns related to haulage/truck traffic on Line 9 associated with the well bottling operations

This is also outside the scope of the Permit to Take Water review process and not relevant in our consideration.

Notification to Indigenous Communities

Response to notification was received from the Chippewas of Rama First Nation and the Georgian Bay Traditional Territory Consultation Committee (Métis Nation of Ontario).

The Chippewas of Rama First Nation had questions regarding a loss in quantity of water with continued climate change or drought and if there is any way to stop active permits to take water. The ministry responded to the community concerns in writing providing information on our review process and the adaptive management tools available to adjust to address changes in natural systems and protect them moving forward.

The Georgian Bay Traditional Territory Consultation Committee (Métis Nation of Ontario) responded looking for further consultation on the application. The ministry facilitated a meeting for August 11, 2021 with the community, the applicant and ministry to answer any questions form the community. The main concerns identified were as follows:

• why the application was classified as a Category 3 Permit To Take Water; and,
• the potential for the water taking to have an impact on local fish populations/habitat and ecosystem

During the meeting, the ministry explained the Permit To Take Water process, and identified that the application for renewal was classified as a Category 3 given the significance of the taking and public interest in the water bottling industry. The ministry and the applicant’s consultant also indicated that the water taking was not anticipated to have an impact on the local ecosystem, including fish habitat given the source of taking from a deep confined aquifer.