Ottawa announced new regulations Wednesday to control wastewater entering Canada’s lakes, rivers and oceans, prompting municipalities to call for federal funding to help pay for upgrades that could cost billions of dollars.
Environment Minister Peter Kent said the new regulations, which he said are the first of their kind, are designed to ensure effluent is properly treated before it is released into the environment.
He said the government estimates roughly 75 per cent of municipalities are already in compliance with the new rules, but the rest must upgrade to at least secondary wastewater treatment.
“The bad news is 25 per cent of communities – and that amounts to about 850 individual communities or treatment areas – are deficient,” said Mr. Kent, who made the announcement in Delta, B.C., near Vancouver.
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