The proposed amendments to…

The proposed amendments to Section 93 of the Municipal Act establish a broad framework and regulation-making authority to encourage greater adoption of non-municipal communal water and wastewater systems. Our staff have concerns regarding the lack of detail in this proposal, which establishes a framework to compel municipal consent for communal services if certain conditions are met. This is a concern because municipalities are typically required to enter into Municipal Responsibility Agreements, which dictate financial, and ownership requirements should these systems default. Details regarding the 'criteria and conditions' required to compel municipal consent should be provided as part of consultation related to legislative changes enabling these private communal servicing arrangements.

Regarding non-municipal communal water systems, it remains unclear if the Province has fully evaluated the source water protection requirements for these new systems. As these communal systems will serve the public, it is recommended they be held to the same rigorous standards as municipal drinking water systems.

We ask the Province to consult the County of Wellington's comments for further detail.