Read the full press release here.

In January of this year, BlueTriton (formerly Nestlé) closed their doors for good here in Ontario. As we celebrated that win, we knew we must remain vigilant, watching for who would purchase these troubled operations next. At a Town of Erin Council meeting in February, we learned that White Wolf Property Management, a company of Ice River, purchased both the Aberfoyle and the Hillsburgh sites. We have now learned that they have applied for a permit to take water with the intent for water bottling.

As we prepared to respond to a new application by this company, we noticed that on Wednesday July 2, the Ford government quietly posted a proposal to the Environmental Registry to change a hard won regulation that would ensure that water taking permits are not a transferable asset. The current requirement that new owners must apply for a new Permit to Take Water (PTTW) is essential to maintaining public trust and environmental integrity.

According to Ontario’s own Guide to Permit to Take Water Application Form, the Ministry is required to cancel a permit held by a previous owner upon the transfer of property ownership, and the new owner must apply anew. This process ensures proper review of:

  • The purpose of the water taking;
  • Potential impacts on local hydrology, wetlands, ecosystems, and drinking water supplies;
  • Public engagement and transparency;
  • Potential monopoly or near-monopoly in water bottling permits- like Ice River potentially controlling 85-99% of Ontario’s bottled water takings.

Posting this proposal quietly on a holiday week, with only a 30 day comment period  is yet another example of how this government puts corporate profiteering over the wellbeing of ecology and democracy.

In addition to the moral affront of commodifying the life source on this blue planet, our collective objections are based on well-documented concerns about climate resilience, groundwater sustainability, environmental justice, Indigenous rights, and public opinion. Proposing that Water Taking Permits are a transferable asset in this time of increasing threats to water security from the Trump administration and from the ever deepening impacts and uncertainty of climate chaos is reckless and irresponsible. 

Let’s flood their offices with opposition and let the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks - Todd McCarthy and Premier Doug Ford know, in no uncertain terms - that water permits are not transferable assets.