Regulating Ontario’s fresh water resources: A free market environmentalist perspective

Abstract

This paper is about Ontario’s fresh water resources and the current policy context promoting the sustainability of this resource. Originally, management of water resources in Ontario was heavily influenced through well-defined private property rights and a common law tradition originating in England, known as riparian rights. However, in recent history, a series of legislation has emerged out of concern over water management following the Walkerton tragedy, in which several members of the community died from E. coli poisoning discovered in the region’s drinking water. The free market approach endorses the abolition of direct government intervention in the management of the water resources. Riparian rights can provide protection from exploitation of water resources, and has historically proven to hold damaging parties accountable for harmful behaviour. This report intends to endorse this approach and the exercise of individual’s riparian rights to successfully manage Ontario’s fresh water resources.