Ontario drinking water law updated to recognize new water and wastewater public corporations and streamline consent rules

Plain-language summary · AI-assisted · not legal advice

Ontario has amended the Safe Drinking Water Act to expand the definition of 'municipal drinking water system' to include systems owned by corporations designated as water and wastewater public corporations under the new Water and Wastewater Public Corporations Act, 2025 — though this particular change takes effect only when a separate provision of that Act comes into force. Separately, a new deemed-consent rule is now in force: if a person obtains municipal consent for a water public utility under the relevant provision of the Municipal Act, 2001, that consent automatically counts as written consent under the Safe Drinking Water Act, removing the need to seek a second, parallel approval. The deemed-consent provision also clarifies that certain liability and abandonment rules do not apply to these deemed consents. Operators of water systems that rely on municipal consents, and any corporations that may be designated as water and wastewater public corporations, should review how these changes affect their approval and consent obligations.

Who this affects: operators of municipal drinking water systems · corporations designated as water and wastewater public corporations · municipalities granting consent for water public utilities · non-municipal drinking water system operators seeking Director approval