Ontario looks at 2-year hold on bottled water business

Ontario's Liberal government is proposing a two-yearhold on the creation or expansion of any bottled water operations aspart of a plan to strengthen the rules around water taking permits.

The Canadian Press has learned the government plans to imposestricter scientific requirements for water taking permits such asstudies on the cumulative impact of the practice on local supplies,especially during droughts.

However, there will not be any immediate increase in the3-dollars and 71-cents the province charges for every one millionlitres of water taken, which the government is still reviewing.

A source familiar with the announcement says the Liberals wantcompanies to create websites listing information about their watertaking permits and showing the actual amounts taken every week.

Tougher rules during drought

The province also wants to make it mandatory it's currentlyvoluntary for bottled water companies to reduce water takingsduring droughts like the one experienced this year in Wellingtoncounty, 100 kilometres west of Toronto.

The government will post its proposed changes for water takingpermits on the Environmental Bill of Rights Registry today for45-days of public comment.

The changes could mean Nestle would not get a permit for a wellit bought in Centre Wellington that the township wanted for itswater supply, but it could get renewals for permits to take up to4.7 million litres a day from wells in nearby Aberfoyle and Erin.