Value of Water on tap Oct. 2 (column)

London Community News

Water is an asset we don’t often think about — but on any given day, and especially on weekends, we don’t only drink it and bath in it — we water our lawns, wash our cars, throw in a few loads of laundry, wash a floor or two … you get the picture! Situated between two substantial fresh water lakes, it would be easy for us to take our water supply for granted but the reality is, as pointed out in a recent council report, “for the past decade we have been paying for the water we use, but not adequately for the system that cleans it, stores it, pumps it and delivers it.” The current rate structure was developed two decades ago. It has been identified as one of the most complicated rate structures in Ontario and for the past eight years the system has operated in a deficit position. The City of London has launched a new program called, The Value of Water, because we need to think about how we are going to manage our city’s water supply system so that it is around today, tomorrow and for generations. More specifically, we are working towards a new funding model for water and wastewater services that will be sustainable, affordable and equitable for personal, institutional and commercial use. To get this conversation started, London will be hosting Bob McDonald, host of CBC Radio’s Quirks and Quarks, as the special guest speaker at Town Hall on Tuesday (Oct. 2) from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Wolf Performance Hall of the Central Branch, London Public Library. To learn more about this initiative or to register for the town hall meeting, please visit www.london.ca and search for Value of Water. I invite you to join in the conversation. Our water resources, both drinking water and wastewater services, not only sustain life but also contribute to our quality of life, our public health, our fire protection and our community’s economic development. National Forest Week As a Million Tree Challenge partner, I invite you to join ReForest London and the City of London in celebration of National Forest Week by planting a tree. National Tree Week is an occasion for all of us to appreciate the great benefits that trees provide us, including clean air and reduced energy demands. Tomorrow (Sept. 28), I will be giving away 50 seedlings, while supplies last, at the Canada Games Aquatics Centre (1045 Wonderland Rd. N. beginning at 4 p.m. Watch for the Free Trees sign just inside or outside the front doors (depending on the weather). If you plant a tree in London, don’t forget to register at www.milliontrees.ca Ward 7 Councillor Matt Brown can be contacted at mbrown@london.ca, by phone at 519-661-2500, ext. 4597 (city hall) or 226-448-8548 (home office). You can also link to his Facebook and Twitter accounts from www.matthewbrown.ca.