Statement in the B.C. Legislature
May 3, 2011

PROTECTION OF DRINKING WATER SUPPLY

VICTORIA - As was mentioned, May 1 to 7 is proclaimed Drinking Water Week in B.C. to raise awareness of the value in our water. Our proclamation this week is supported by the B.C. Waste and Water Association, whose mandate is to help safeguard public health and the environment on water matters by providing education, training and knowledge sharing.

I would like to acknowledge again the guests Daisy Foster and Jim Mattison for all their hard work and their organization in British Columbia, as we have some of the best drinking water in Canada.

The quality of our province's drinking water continuously improves over the years, and we should be proud of that. In the last ten years we have made significant progress in improving the quality and standards of drinking water. In 2003 we enacted the Drinking Water Protection Act to protect water from source to tap and to safeguard the health of British Columbians. This was built on the Action Plan for Safe Drinking Water, created in 2002, to focus on preventing and treating contamination as well as identifying risks in communities.

of investments in drinking water systems include $20 million through Towns for Tomorrow for more than 150 projects, including 61 water and sewer infrastructure projects; $80 million for 87 projects through the B.C. community water improvement program, one of the projects approved to date through the Building Canada community component