001-40_WC_144_SEPT-OCT25_PT - Flipbook - Page 17
POLICY
Walkerton
25 Years Later
Re昀氀ecting on progress and
preparing for the future
BY MICHELE GRENIER
HIS YEAR MARKS the 25th anniversary of the
Walkerton water tragedy—an event that profoundly
changed the way Ontario protects its drinking water.
At Ontario’s Water Conference & Trade Show 2025,
a special panel titled Walkerton 25 Years Later: Lessons,
Progress, and the Road Ahead brought together three key
voices in the sector: Steven Carrasco from the Ministry
of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP),
Dr. Wajid Ahmed from the Ministry of Health, and Victoria Colling from the Walkerton Clean Water Centre
(WCWC). The discussion was moderated by Michele
T
Michele Grenier is the Executive Director of the
Ontario Water Works Association (OWWA).
Grenier, Executive Director of OWWA, and focused on
the legacy of the Walkerton Inquiry, challenges facing
small and remote systems, and the emerging issues that
will shape the next 25 years.
A system transformed:
Lessons from the Walkerton Inquiry
Panelists began by revisiting the transformative changes prompted by the Walkerton Inquiry. Justice Dennis
O’Connor’s 121 recommendations became the foundation
of Ontario’s current drinking water safety net.
Steven Carrasco highlighted the multi-barrier approach,
a now-standard “source-to-tap” strategy that addresses water
protection at every stage: from watershed protection to distribution system monitoring. The Clean Water Act (2006) and
mandatory Source Water Protection Plans emerged as major
successes, empowering communities and ensuring threats to
drinking water are identified and prevented from impacting
WATER C AN ADA • SEP TEMBER/OCTOBER 2025
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