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Municipal Wastewater Effluent

Municipal Wastewater Effluent. & Multi-Level Regulatory Governance. Purpose. To examine the core issues in, and the prospects for a harmonized approach to the governance of MWWE among federal, provincial, and municipal governments. Municipal Authority.

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Municipal Wastewater Effluent

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  1. Municipal Wastewater Effluent & Multi-Level Regulatory Governance

  2. Purpose To examine the core issues in, and the prospects for a harmonized approach to the governance of MWWE among federal, provincial, and municipal governments

  3. Municipal Authority • Primary regulatory tool: Sewer-use bylaws • Municipalities: Regulator vs. Regulated

  4. Provincial Authority • MWWE & constitutional authority • Multiple pieces of legislation & …multiple governing departments • Regional variations in MWWE treatment have created a legacy of uneven regulation

  5. Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) • Consensus based decision-making • Ideally situated to address issues that are inherently interjurisdictional

  6. Federal Authority Two primary pieces of legislation: • Section 36(3) of the Fisheries Act • The Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) 1999

  7. Wastewater Sanitary Sewage + Stormwater

  8. Sierra Legal Defense Fund • Top of the class: • Calgary (A+) • Whistler (A) • Edmonton (A-) • Failing grades: • Montreal (F) • Victoria (suspended)

  9. The Policy Story • Water is inherently mobile • A legacy of uneven environmental protection • Toxic Substances in Effluents are deleterious: • Environmental health • Economic health • Population health

  10. Priority Substance Assessment Program 3 MWWE substances were identified as toxic and listed on Schedule 1 of CEPA 1999 • Chlorinated wastewater effluents (2000) • Ammonia dissolved in water (2003) • Inorganic chloramines (2003)

  11. Pollution Prevention Planning • There is a legislative timeline for action under an amendment made to CEPA 1999 • The instrument was proposed June, 2003 • Focused on process audits (non-regulatory) • The final notice to be published December 2004

  12. A long-term Canada-wide strategy • Formalizing higher & nationally consistent environmental standards • Consensus-based decision making to occur under the auspices of the CCME

  13. CCME Cornerstones: • Harmonization of the Regulatory Framework • Coordinated Science & Research • Environmental Risk Management Model Source: CCME

  14. A Simplified Policy Process

  15. Problem Definition • If the goal of the long-term Canada-wide strategy is to achieve higher & nationally consistent environmental standards …the problem definition must be structured to reflect this

  16. Policy Design • Considered within the context of broadly related initiatives • Must move beyond ‘end of pipe’ regulations • Making an overt connection to SMART regs.

  17. Implementation Neglect of aging municipal infrastructure… “has led to declining standards of services to citizens and diminishing efficiency and effectiveness of our cities as engine of economic growth” Conference Board of Canada, 2003

  18. Evaluation • Report Card Federalism • Increased transparency • Increased democratic accountability • Opportunities for mentoring & training • Considering a coordinated mechanism for communicating results with the public • A focus on performance and not process

  19. Conclusion Given: • The inter-jurisdictional nature of water • The known deleterious effects of MWWE • The legacy of uneven application of regulation …there is a clear need for nationally consistent and cooperative management of these risks in order to safeguard the public interest

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