| The use of public-private partnerships to deliver municipal water services is controversial due to the special importance of water to public health and the environment. In Ontario, the establishment of public-private partnerships in this sector has been slowed by the Walkerton tragedy, the public inquiry into its causes, and the subsequent enactment of the Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002 and the Sustainable Water and Sewage Systems Act, 2002. Critics have suggested that these statutes will force many municipalities to privatize their water infrastructure. This thesis argues that the prospects for public-private partnerships in the Ontario water sector are modest due to the unique characteristics of the municipal water infrastructure, concerns over opportunistic behaviour in this politically sensitive sector, the emphasis on public accountability in the new legislation, and the broad powers given to the province to both interfere with water pricing and to alter contracts between municipalities and private firms. |
