History of Source Water Protection
Source Water Protection: A Brief Timeline
May 2000 – Walkerton tragedy
Early 2002 – Walkerton Inquiry Reports released
2002 – Ontario passes two laws: The Safe Drinking Water Act and the Sustainable Water and Sewage Systems Act
November 2002 – Appointment of Advisory Committee on Watershed-Based Source Protection
November 2003 – Two Advisory Committees named: Technical Experts Committee and Implementation Committee
January 2004 – Provincial White Paper on Source Water Protection
June 2004 – Draft Drinking Water Source Protection Act released for public comment
December 2004 – Technical Experts Committee and Implementation Committee Reports submitted
December 2005 – Clean Water Act (CWA) introduced with first reading
November 2006 – CWA passed
July 2007 – First CWA Regulations passed
August 2007 – Minister of Environment appoints the 19 Source Protection Committee Chairs
November 2007 – Source Protection Committees appointed across the province
December 17, 2007 – First South Georgian Bay Lake Simcoe Source Protection Committee meeting
May/June 2008 – Public Consultation on Terms of Reference (describing who does what)
November 2008 – Terms of Reference completed
June 29, 2009 – Terms of Reference approved (triggering deadline for the Assessment Reports)
September 2 to October 8, 2010 – First Consultation on Proposed Assessment Reports
October 22 to November 22, 2010 – Second Consultation on Proposed Assessment Reports
December 17, 2010 – Submission of Proposed Assessment Reports to Minister of the Environment
February 2011 – Rama First Nation passes resolution requesting their drinking water system be included in the Source Protection Planning process
May 11, 2011 – Commencement of Source Protection Planning announced
June 22, 2011 – Rama First Nation Open House
November 2011 – Municipal Pre-consultation on Source Protection Plan
January 19, 2012 – Proposed Assessment Reports approved by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC)
March 26 to May 25, 2012– First Formal Consultation on Draft Proposed Source Protection Plan
April 16, 19, 21, 24, 2012 – Public Open Houses (Midland, Newmarket, Barrie, Orillia)
August 27 to October 5, 2012 – Second Formal Consultation on Draft Proposed Source Protection Plan
October 22, 2012 – Proposed Source Protection Plan submitted to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
February 21, 2014 – Rama First Nation formally included in Source Protection Plan
March 11 to April 9, 2014 – Pre–consultation on Revised Proposed Source Protection Plan and 2014 Updated Assessment Reports
April 24 to May 23, 2014 – Formal consultation on Revised Proposed Source Protection Plan and 2014 Updated Assessment Reports
July 3, 2014 – Revised Proposed Source Protection Plan and 2014 Updated Assessment Reports submitted to the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change
January 19, 2015 – Minister approves Assessment Reports
July 1, 2015 – Our Region’s Source Protection Plan takes effect – implementation starts…