For Immediate Release
The inaugural meeting of the Drinking Water Source Protection Committee (SPC) for the Saugeen, Grey Sauble, Northern Bruce Peninsula Source Protection Region was held November
27, 2007, in Owen Sound.
Michael Traynor, Chair of the SPC, remarked in his opening address, “As we join together and form our committee it will allow us to oversee the planning process to establish programs and
policies to protect our drinking water sources for generations to come.”
SPC members and others gathered for the meeting heard about the work ahead. Within the next year the Committee will submit a Terms of Reference that will identify required tasks and the
drinking water systems to be included in an assessment report and source protection plan. The development of the Source Protection Plan may take up to five years. However, a great deal of
technical work has been happening over the last two years, such as the mapping, computer modeling and study of more than forty municipal drinking water systems.
Following presentations that provided an overview of drinking water source protection and the Clean Water Act, the Source Protection Committee held a business meeting. Members discussed
draft versions of a Rules of Procedure document, as well as a Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest Policy. “The Committee members worked well together and brought out some great ideas,” commented Mr. Traynor. The afternoon featured a meet and greet session. About thirtyfive people dropped by to meet the SPC members and hear more about source protection.
“The public will be a vital part of the process of developing a source protection plan,” commented Mr. Traynor. “The SPC members indicated their desire for extensive communication
with the public as we go forward.” Meetings will be open to the public and notice will be provided in advance. One way of keeping informed is to visit the local Source Protection website
at www.waterprotection.ca.
The Source Protection Committee will be meeting next on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 and Tuesday, January 22, 2008 (time and location to be determined). The public is welcome to
attend.
Members of the Saugeen, Grey Sauble, Northern Bruce Peninsula Source Protection Committee
Chair Mike Traynor (appointed Aug. 2007 by Minister of the Environment)
Municipal (5)
Brad McRoberts Group 1 – Northern Bruce Peninsula, South Bruce Peninsula, Georgian Bluffs
Mitch Twolan Group 2 – Saugeen Shores, Kincardine, Huron Kinloss
Les Nichols Group 3 – ArranElderslie, Brockton, South Bruce, Howick, Morris Turnberry
Howard Greig Group 4 – Chatsworth, West Grey, Hanover, Southgate, Wellington North, Minto
Bill Twaddle Group 5 – Owen Sound, Meaford, The Blue Mountains, Grey Highlands
Agricultural (3)
Dr. David Biesenthal Farmer – Brockton
Robert Emerson Farmer – HuronKinloss
Brent Lanktree Farmer – The Blue Mountains
Industrial (1)
Sandy Gott Water bottling company – Grey Highlands
Commercial (1)
Mark Kraemer Business owner – Saugeen Shores
Other Interests (5)
Dale Thompson Environment (Northern Bruce Peninsula resident)
Les MacKinnon Environment (Grey Highlands resident)
Lou D’Alessandro Health (Owen Sound resident)
Bruce Davidson Public (Brockton resident)
Carolyn Day Public (Saugeen Shores resident)
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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
David Ellingwood, Communications Specialist, Saugeen, Grey Sauble, Northern Bruce Peninsula Source Protection Region, at (519) 376-3076 x. 246 or e-mail d.ellingwood@greysauble.on.ca
SOURCE PROTECTION COMMITTEE – INAUGURAL MEETING
Welcoming Remarks by Mike Traynor, SPC Chair November 27, 2007
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all of you committee members, staff, local media, general public, dignitaries and representatives of the Ministry to the
inaugural meeting of the Source Protection Committee for the region of Saugeen, Grey Sauble, Northern Bruce Peninsula. We are truly fortunate to be a part of this historic
undertaking. Where else could one play a role as a contributor whether as a committee member, as staff, even as an observer in such a significant planning issue as clean
water?
I am really looking forward to working with all of you. Your input, your knowledge and your expertise and skills is valued and will always be respected in this journey we are
taking. As we join together and form our committee it will allow us to oversee the planning process to establish programs and policies to protect our drinking water
sources for generations to come.
Our first major task as a committee will be to undertake the development of the Terms of Reference – Establish Who does What. These Terms of Reference need to be
submitted to the Source Protection Authority by August 2008. Essentially the Terms of Reference will be the work plan that identifies what needs to be done to develop an
Assessment Report and, in turn, a Source Protection Plan for our region.
The Assessment Report—part two of our tasks is to assess the risks to our drinking water. It is to be a comprehensive document that will describe the watershed, identify
vulnerable areas where our drinking water source may be at risk of contamination, and then assess the threats to the drinking water within the vulnerable areas. So as you
know, a great deal of the background work necessary to develop an assessment report has been completed or is underway by our staff over the past two years. The Assessment Report is to be completed and submitted to the ministry late November 2009.
And finally, our Source Protection Plan will be the document that provides the policies to address and to monitor drinking water threats in our region. Source Protection plans
will be locally developed and delivered. The Source Protection Plan needs to be submitted to the Minister five years from the appointment of the Chair, that being August 2012.
As your Chair my roles and responsibilities include the following:
- assist in the Source Protection committee composition
- guide effective operation of the Source Protection Committee
- work collaboratively with stakeholder groups
- be the spokesperson for our Source Protection Committee
- remain as a neutral member
- liaise with Source Protection Authorities and municipalities
- participate in the meetings of the Chairs of Source Protection Committees 19 chairs across Ontario held by the Minister and staff
As committee members, members that are spread among a variety of interests including municipal, agriculture, industry, commercial, health, environmental and
members of the general public, we will be dealing with technical information and discussing often very complex issues. Training and orientation will be provided thereby
allowing and providing all of us the background information and understanding of our roles. Our Rules of Procedure, Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest Policy once developed and adopted will guide us in conducting our business as a committee.
Even though the tasks to be completed over the next five years may appear to be overwhelming at first glance, l feel confident and greatly encouraged that we as a
committee and staff will address and will meet all of the prescribed deadlines with great success. RememberHow do you set out to eat an elephant? That’s right! One piece
at a time!
In closing our actions today affect the quantity and the quality of water available for future uses. The United Nations warns that if current trends of wasting and polluting
freshwater continue, two out of three people on earth will suffer moderate to severe water shortages in little more than two decades. It is imperative that we take measures
to protect water sources today.
Thank you for accepting the challenge of working towards ensuring we have clean, safe water. Your contribution as a committee member will be an invaluable service to the
people of our region.