For Immediate Release:
October 26, 2010
Queens Park – Government committee members refused to make time for municipal representatives who were on the election trail to comment on a water bill that will impact them – and their ratepayers – directly.
Opposition Environment Critic, Toby Barrett requested a deferral of General Government Committee deliberations on Bill 72, the Water Opportunities Act, “until such time as elected municipal councils are in place and a mechanism for their input to committee deliberations is agreed upon.”
A letter to the Committee Clerk and members signed by Barrett and Opposition Municipal Affairs Critic Joyce Savoline further noted that, “Committee deliberations with the Water Opportunities Act are being held during the time of Ontario’s municipal elections; and that the act itself impacts directly on water service providers including municipalities; and that municipal councilors therefore would have limited ability to provide input to Committee deliberations aimed at amending the bill.”
Leeds-Grenville MPP Steve Clark added that during his conversations with municipal council hopefuls in his area, “many had no idea about Bill 72.”
Despite the concerns, government committee members voted unanimously to reject any further opportunity to allow municipal input to committee deliberations over McGuinty’s water bill.
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For more information, please contact MPP Toby Barrett at
(519) 428-0446 or (905)-765-8413, 1-800-903-8629