For Immediate Release ö Monday April 9, 2001
Drinking Water Protection Act - Bill 20
Bureaucratic jungle pawned-off as a solution
"It's impossible to find the "meat (or tofu)" in this doubledecker sandwich of a Bill·because it doesn't have any." Paul George, founder of the 27,000 member strong Western Canada Wilderness Committee, is refering to the 74 page Drinking Water Protection Act-Bill 20-given First Reading Thursday, April 5th.
Bill 20 began second reading in the legislature late today.
"Rather than provide a vehicle for local governments to assume full control of their drinking watersheds and exclude activities which compromise water quality like cattle grazing, logging and mining, it merely sets up drinking water officers, water coordinators and drinking water advisory committees," explained George. "It also provides for a lot of assessment activities and planning processes which culminate in developing a 'watershed protection plan'. But what can it do?"
"It will take a carload of lawyers to figure the discretionary powers of the Environment Minister and how conflicts in land use management will be resolved to protect water," said George. He contends that there is so much that is left up to the regulations that the plan is ultimately flawed.
"This government lacks the courage to give all municipalities and water users who rely on surface water (lakes, streams, creeks and reservoirs) for their drinking water the same rights that residents in Vancouver and Victoria have where logging and other activities which harm water quality and make it less safe to drink have been banned," continued George.
"It's a very complicated Bill that deserves full debate and good amendments to ensure that it's effective and workable and there just doesn't isn't enough time to do that. Therefore it should be allowed to die on the order paper when the election is called," concluded George.
To view the Act see www.legis.gov.bc.ca/2001/1st-read/gov20-1.htm.
For more information contact:
Paul George, WCWC Director (604) 683-8220