Safe. Affordable.
Because it's public.
Ontario’s water belongs to us—not corporations
Protect safe, affordable, public water for everyone.
The Ford government has passed legislation that shifts control of Ontario’s local water systems, giving profit-driven companies power over our drinking water. That means higher bills, less safe water, and no control over something that belongs to all of us. But it’s not too late to push back.
Send a message to your MPP and tell them to repeal Bill 60 and keep our water public, safe, and accountable to the people of Ontario. This is about protecting our right to clean, affordable water—for us and for future generations.
What's happening?
New laws are changing who controls Ontario’s water.
The Ford government has passed legislation that now allows profit-driven companies to run local drinking water and wastewater systems. Despite government claims to the contrary, these changes pave the way for privatization according to experts. These changes remove decision-making from elected councils and weaken public oversight that keeps Ontario’s water safe and affordable. Our public water system works because it’s accountable to people—not profit. Here’s what’s happening, and what it could mean for your community.
Bill 60 — Corporate Control of Water
Status: PASSED
Bill 60 (Schedule 16) includes a clause allowing the province to create new “water corporations” to run local drinking water and wastewater systems. These profit-driven corporate bodies could set rates, take on debt, and operate with less public oversight, mortgaging our water for their bottom line. The fight now is to stop its implementation and have it repealed.
Bill 56 — Less Oversight, More Risk
Status: PASSED
Bill 56 (Schedule 1) gives the Minister sweeping power to rewrite and approve changes to Ontario’s local water systems without independent review. That means fewer checks, less transparency, and higher risk for local communities.
Bill 68 — Weaker Water Protection
Status: PASSED
The province is proposing to merge 36 Conservation Authorities into just 7, stripping away local oversight of wetlands, rivers, and drinking-water sources. Fewer watchdogs weaken the checks that catch contamination and flooding risks.
Why it matters
Walkerton must never happen again.
When water safety testing went for-profit under Mike Harris’ Conservative government, the results were disastrous. Between 1995 and 2000, fewer than one-third of water plants in Ontario were safety tested each year. Then tragedy struck in Walkerton when 5,000 people were exposed to E. coli tainted water—causing deaths, long-term illness, and grief that still echoes across the province. That wasn’t the only time companies put profit over safety with disastrous results. When oversight is stripped away, communities pay the price. Let’s not repeat the mistakes of the past.
When decisions about water move from elected councils to unelected corporate boards, Ontarians lose more than control.
Under public ownership, water systems are overseen by municipal councils—people we elect, people we can question, and people we can replace.
But new laws shift that accountability to appointed corporate boards that have no obligation to the public. The result?
No democratic oversight
No transparency on costs or decisions
No ability to vote out those who fail to deliver
Public water means public accountability. Corporate control means none.
When decisions about water move from elected councils to unelected corporate boards, Ontarians lose more than control.
Under public ownership, water systems are overseen by municipal councils—people we elect, people we can question, and people we can replace.
But new laws would shift that accountability to appointed corporate boards with no obligation to the public. The result?
No democratic oversight
No transparency on costs or decisions
No ability to vote out those who fail to deliver
Public water means public accountability. Corporate control means none.
When profit-driven companies run water, we pay more and get less.
In the UK, water prices rose 40% faster than inflation after corporate takeover.
When public utilities in the United Kingdom were sold to private operators, households saw bills climb dramatically while leaks and service complaints increased. Decades later, the companies have paid billions in dividends to shareholders instead of investing in infrastructure—proof that profit-driven companies don’t serve the public.
Private contracts add 20–30% in extra costs to fund profits.
Independent studies from around the world show that private water operators build profit and shareholder payments directly into customer rates. That means Ontarians could end up paying more for the same service—without gaining any improvements in safety or reliability. Every dollar spent on profit is a dollar not invested back into our communities.
In Alberta, one town’s water rates jumped 68% under corporate management.
When the town of Taber handed control of its water system to a private company, residents quickly saw bills soar 68% and service quality decline. Within a few years, the community brought its water back under public control, cutting costs and restoring accountability. Around the world, communities are bringing water back under public control because it’s safer, fairer, and more affordable.
Paying more for a sewage disaster in Hamilton.
Hamilton signed a ten-year $180 million contract with a private operator in 1994, claiming big savings and better operations. Instead, residents found 135 million liters of raw sewage spilling into Hamilton Harbour and more than 115 houses flooded. The system failed so widely—with spills, environmental fines, and rising rates for households—that Hamilton made water service public again in 2004, saving $5.66 million in costs from 2005-2008.