Ontario Water Opportunities and Water Conservation Act Passes
Ontario’s leadership in water protectionis creating clean water jobs and strengthening local
economies.
Toronto, November 24, 2010
- The Ontario Legislature passed the Water Opportunities and Water
Conservation Act yesterday. The act builds on Ontario’s expertise
in water protection services and technology – making the province
the leading clean water jurisdiction in North America.-
The new act sets the framework to:
- Make Ontario a North American leader in developing water
technologies and services and making our expertise available to the
world through the creation of the Water Technology Acceleration
Project (TAP) – a technology hub bringing together industry,
academics and government to develop the sector and promote it
abroad - Encourage Ontarians to use water more efficiently by creating
and implementing innovative approaches to protect our most valuable
resource so our children and grandchildren will continue to have
access to clean drinking water for generations - Strengthen sustainable municipal water planning by helping them
identify and plan for long term infrastructure needs.
The act will help municipalities improve the efficiency of
municipal infrastructure and services by:
- Identifying innovative, cost effective solutions to solve water
challenges - Optimizing systems and improving water conservation
- Identifying opportunities to demonstrate and implement new and
emerging Ontario water technologies, services and practices.
The act will also help Ontarians do their part to reduce the amount
of water they use through enabling measures such as:
- Bringing in water efficiency standards for consumer
products - Setting water use goals
- Requiring standardized information about water use on water
bills.
In addition to the act, the government intends to:
- Work with partners to pilot new technologies, services and
practices; and to help develop and sell new technologies and
services for water conservation and treatment, at home and around
the world. - Educate the public on wise water use.
- Train the next generation of water professionals.
The development of new water technologies is part of the Open
Ontario Plan to build on Ontario’s expertise in clean water
technology and make the province a world leader in water innovation
to help address global water challenges.
The Ontario Water Conservation Alliance, a diverse coalition of
industry, labour, environmental organizations and municipalities,
welcomed the new water legislation, noting that innovative water
conservation technologies and practices will position Ontario to
take advantage of the $500 billion global
market for solutions to the world’s water challenges, building on
the existing 20,000 jobs in its current water sector.
“Passing this legislation is an exciting step in
Ontario’s commitment to becoming a global leader in clean water.
Building on our history of developing industry changing innovations
and introducing stronger conservation practices will benefit all
Ontarians through economic growth and job creation while giving us
the tools to significantly reduce our overall water
footprint.” David Henderson, Managing Director, XPV Capital
Corporation
Key Facts
Ontario companies are currently
employing 22,000 people in good, high-paying jobs selling water
technology around the world.
Ontario firms are recognized
leaders in ultraviolet disinfection, compact sewage treatment,
water information and systems software, and plant design and
operation.
The water technology sector is
valued at more than $400 billion worldwide, doubling every five to
six years.
Half of Ontarians consider fresh
water to be Canada’s most important natural resource.
On average, Ontarians use 260
litres of water per day - twice as much as countries like Germany
and the UK.
target=”_blank” title=”Learn More”>Find out more about the Water
Technology Acceleration Project (PDF)
