TORONTO, ON, Canada, Dec. 1, 2010 -- Ontario's leadership in water protection is creating clean water jobs and strengthening local economies.
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 our 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 development of new water technologies will benefit Ontarians by creating good jobs and protecting our most valuable resource for our children and our grandchildren for generations. This approach is part of our 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.
"Our actions to date have made Ontario's water some of the best protected in the world. We will tap into our water expertise to help protect water around the globe, while creating clean water jobs at home and boosting our economy. We will ensure our children and our grandchildren continue to have access to clean drinking water and create jobs for generations," said John Wilkinson, Minister of the Environment.
"Ontario has a long history of clean water expertise. WaterTAP is an opportunity to bring all of our water know-how together to help Ontario become the North American leader in providing sustainable technologies, real jobs and the ability to export our innovative water solutions around the world," said Glen Murray, Minister of Research and Innovation.
"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," said David Henderson, Managing Director, XPV Capital Corporation.
QUICK 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.
Five minutes of rinsing dishes under a faucet uses up to 45 litres of water.
LEARN MORE
Backgrounder: The Water Opportunities and Water Conservation Act >
Find out more about the Water Technology Acceleration Project (PDF) >
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