Region of Waterloo to ask province to pause issuing new water taking permits in light of capacity concerns | CBC News
Listen to this article
Estimated 3 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
In an effort to protect the region’s water supply, the Region of Waterloo will ask the province to put a pause on issuing new or expanding existing water taking permits within the Manheim Service Area.
Regional council voted in favour of the move Wednesday night during a council meeting. It’s part of the region’s response to the ongoing water capacity constraint in the Mannheim Service Area that was identified in December 2025.
The region says there’s enough water right now to service homes and businesses in Kitchener, Waterloo, and parts of Cambridge, Wilmot Township and Woolwich Township, but there are concerns there’s not enough water capacity to serve growth in those areas.
Regional Coun. Joe Gowing, brought the motion forward to prevent the constraint in the Manheim Service Area from getting worse.
“A lot of people are worried the current water quantity that we have can service what we have, but if we run into any type of accident within our Manheim area and we lose any of our groundwater, we’re going to be in a mess,” he told CBC News earlier this month.
“There was one delegate that we had that made a great example. You can put as many straws as you want into this glass of water in front of me, but if it’s not recharging fast enough, it’s gonna deplete.”
Regional Coun. Joe Gowing hopes a pause on new water-taking permits will help address the water capacity issue the Region of Waterloo currently faces. He’s bringing a motion forward to regional council on Wednesday to pause new permits for projects that would use millions of litres of water a day.
Provincial data shows there are currently 108 active water taking permits within the Region of Waterloo, which can take up to approximately one billion litres per day, according to Gowing’s motion.
It added there are currently 65 active permits within the Manheim Service Area that allow for up to 740 million litres of water to be taken each day.
Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Mike Harris told CBC K-W’s The Morning Edition Wednesday his colleagues at Queen’s Park are “very well aware of what’s going on in Waterloo region.”
Harris said he will continue to work with Regional Chair Karen Redman and staff to come up with interim solutions so that development continues.
“[The region is] taking the right approach so far in looking at incremental increases and we’re just going to make sure we’re there to support them where ever we can,” he said.
Permit pause will not affect residential wells
Gowing’s motion also asks the province to continue to communicate with the affected municipalities on any new, amended or renewed water taking permits.
It also asks the province to provide a written response addressing municipal comments before final decisions are made and to notify the region when applications are submitted and when a final decision to issue a permit is made.
Regional solicitor Fiona McCrea clarified at Wednesday’s council meeting that this motion would not affect residents who have a well on their property or who are looking to install one.
“My initial reaction is that the permit to take water is for larger water takings than what would be required for a residential well,” McCrea told councillors.
“The approval process for that would not be a permit to take water.”