The Bad PlaceEnglish – The Conversation | New Ontario water and sanitation law could pave the way for the financialization of public water by Meera Karunananthan, Assistant Professor, Human Geography, Carleton University
AI generated summary, Read the full article for complete information.
Ontario’s new Water and Wastewater Public Corporations Act transfers municipal drinking‑water and wastewater services to arm‑length “public corporations,” stripping local governments of control and positioning the sector for profit‑oriented financialization. Although amendments limit shareholders to government entities, the vague “agent” clause leaves open public‑private arrangements that could prioritize revenue for corporate boards over public health, equity and local expertise. Critics warn that the model—mirroring World Bank‑backed reforms elsewhere—will shift risk to communities while allowing shareholders to capture profits, deepening debt burdens for municipalities such as Peel and replicating harms seen in privatized systems in the UK, Flint and First Nations reserves. The legislation has sparked a broad coalition of water workers, environmental groups and activists demanding that Ontario retain democratic, accountable water governance rather than turn essential services into tradable assets.
#Ontariogovernment #WorldBank #PeelRegion #Bill98 #Walkertoncrisis #Flintwater #municipalaffairs #publiccorporations #
GG