The Future of Ontario's Drinking Water: Lessons Learned from Walkerton

The issue of drinking water quality is of central importance to Ontarians. The availability of safe drinking water is essential to the protection of public health, and therefore our standard of living.

The vulnerability of this valuable resource was underscored, however, by the events of May 2000 in Walkerton, when the water supply became contaminated with a particularly virilulant form of Escherichia coli (O157:H7).

The Government of Ontario responded to the Walkerton tragedy by calling the Walkerton Inquiry, commissioned by the Honourable Dennis R. O’Connor, to answer many questions surrounding the events of May 2000, the most important of which was “How can we make sure this never happens again?”.

A significant portion of Ontario’s legislation surrounding the protection, treatment and supply of drinking water changed as a result of this inquiry and this has presumably resulted in safer drinking water for Ontarians. The system as it exists, however, is still not fail-proof.

This presentation will offer an overview of the physical causes of the events of May 2000 in Walkerton, examine the changes in Ontario’s legislation resulting from the Walkerton inquiry, and explore the potential vulnerabilities that still exist in Ontario’s drinking water systems.