Advocacy groups are raising concerns about Ontario’s plan to transfer Peel’s water and wastewater services to a publicly-owned corporation, citing fears over reduced public oversight, future privatization and uncertainty over water rates.
These concerns stem from the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act (Bill 60), which began the process of transferring responsibility for Peel’s water and wastewater services from the Region of Peel to Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga.
The omnibus legislation enacted the Water and Wastewater Public Corporations Act, 2025, creating a framework for a publicly-owned corporation model to deliver water and wastewater services.
Peel was selected as the first jurisdiction to test how the model would function in a large and complex jurisdiction before expanding elsewhere.
The transfer to municipalities will commence in 2029, with no specific date designated for when the corporation, which will be jointly owned by the three cities, will begin operating.
Representatives from the Brampton Environmental Alliance (BEA) and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) argue the new structure could reduce public accountability by shifting decision-making away from elected officials and into the hands of a corporation and its management board.
Currently, decisions about water and wastewater infrastructure, investments and planning are made through the Peel regional council, where elected officials debate and vote on proposals in public.
Under the new model, activists fear residents would have fewer opportunities to influence those decisions and a less direct line of accountability.
“This new structure will take away all aspects of having a voice… because you are complaining to a company now, not local councillors,” said Carlos Dias, president of CUPE 831.
The BEA also argues the new corporation’s role in establishing water rates raises concerns about how future costs will be determined and who will be accountable for those decisions.
The legislation states that one of the corporation’s responsibilities will be to determine rates for water and sewage services. It will also allow the corporation to submit its rate plan to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, who can approve the plan or require changes.
Steve Papagiannis, vice-president and governance committee chair for the BEA, said the organization is concerned residents will have less influence over decisions that directly affect them.
The legislation states that the corporation responsible for handling water services will remain publicly owned and says municipalities will continue to have a role through joint ownership of the corporation.
Additionally, it is stated in the legislation that the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing would provide oversight of the company through reporting requirements, audited financial statements, and rate plans.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing disputes claims that the legislation opens the door to privatization, pointing to safeguards included in the Building Homes and Improving Transportation Infrastructure Act (Bill 98), which amended the water and wastewater corporation model created under Bill 60.
The legislation states that shares of a water and wastewater public corporation cannot be issued to any privately-owned companies or individuals.
“Any claims that our government is privatizing water is factually incorrect. Bill 98 explicitly bans what the activist is alleging,” said Michael Minzak, the issues manager and press secretary for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
However, activists argue those safeguards do not eliminate the possibility of future privatization because legislation can be changed.
“Even though they’ve got those safeguards in there, those are things that get removed very quickly,” said Papagiannis.
Papagiannis pointed to Highway 407 as an example of a publicly-owned asset that later involved private operation. The highway was originally developed as a publicly owned toll road before the province sold a 99-year lease to a private consortium in 1999.
However, the government of the day had the authority to enter into a private operating agreement for the 407, while the current legislation would require changes before a water and wastewater public corporation could be privately owned.
Organizers say they are raising awareness now because they do not want to repeat what they see as a missed opportunity to mobilize opposition to the expansion of the Emerald Energy from Waste incinerator now underway in Brampton.
They argue many residents only became aware of that project after key decisions had already been made.
By raising their objections early, they hope to encourage public discussion and ensure water and wastewater services remain under public control before the province’s new model is implemented.
“We can’t allow money to take over what comes out of our faucets when we turn them on,” Dias said.
By Bridget Potasky, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Aug 09, 2026 at 12:44
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