Ontario to propose $500-per-million-litre charge for water bottlers: news report

Ontario is proposing to charge water-bottling companies a little over $500 per million litres, up from the current fee of just a few dollars, The Canadian Press news agency is reporting.

Quoting an unmanned government source, The Canadian Press says a proposal is in the works to increase the charge to $503.71 per million litres for water-bottling companies who take from groundwater.

The current charge of $3.71 per million litres of water is on top of a fee of $750 for low- or medium-risk water takings, or $3,000 for those considered a high risk to cause an adverse environmental impact.

The province has already proposed new restrictions for bottled water companies who want to renew permits and it has imposed a two-year moratorium on permits for new or expanded bottled water operations after Nestle purchased a well that the township of Centre Wellington wanted for its growing community.

Nestle has existing permits to take up to 3.6 million litres a day from its well in Aberfoyle, Ont., where it has a bottling plant, and another 1.1 million litres a day from a well in nearby Erin, Ont.

Nestle Waters Canada has said it wants to partner with Centre Wellington on the well the company purchased.

Nestle has also previously said that it would be prepared to pay more for permits if rates were increased, but only if all companies with water-taking permits face the higher fees.

The Canadian Bottled Water Association has said that making bottled water more expensive for producers would only end up making it more expensive for consumers.

British Columbia charges $2.50 for every million litres, while Quebec charges $70.

Municipalities, mines, construction companies and golf courses – in addition to the water-bottling companies – are allowed to take a total of 1.4 trillion litres out of Ontario’s surface and ground water supplies every day.