Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Drinking Water - Thirty-First Meeting October 24-25, 2002, Ottawa, Ontario
7.0 Committee Liaison Reports
7.01 CEOH Report
J.Popplow walked members through the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Environmental and Occupational Health (CEOH) draft minutes (May 2002) attached in the package. The minutes of the last meeting were included to show the range of work for which the committee is responsible. No meeting is scheduled for this fall and members are awaiting for information on the possible re-allignment of committees on environment and health.
Decision/Action:
- CDW members requested to meet all of their CEOH members to improve communication.
7.02 CCME Report
T. Phommavong noted that quite a bit of work has been done to integrate the health and environmental aspects of water. Water quality indexes were discussed and background information requested. C.Gaudet walked members through her handout on Canadian Council of Ministers on the Environment (CCME), work with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and mapping national groundwater resources.
Decision/Action:
- Secretary to send out background information on drinking water indexes by March 21, 2003.
7.03 CACP/CRCP Report
T. Macaulay noted that the last meeting of Canadian Advisory Council on Plumbing (CACP) / Canadian Regulatory Committee on Plumbing (CRCP) took place in Halifax in August. Items discussed included water conservation, re-use of water (CRCP) issues, possible changes to the National Plumbing Code, the potential for leachable contaminants to enter the water from fixtures (lead leaching from water meters), the gap in jurisdiction between the curb stop and the home, and the potential for cross contamination of water in the distribution line from drainage ports. He noted that a lobby group, Safe Kids Canada, is lobbying the industry to reduce the temperature of hot water tanks to reduce the incidence of burns. A stakeholder group is looking at possible solutions. It was noted that the CRCP was changing its name to the Provincial-Territorial Subcommittee on the Plumbing Code (PTSPC).
Decision/Action:
7.04 Certification Body Reports
D. Sokolowski introduced his section and outlined the activities staff are working on, including the development of health-based standards with NSF International, and other standards with the Standards Council of Canada and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Commission. The Section will continue to collect samples of wording from other jurisdictions related to referencing NSF standards into regulations. Future work includes reviewing treatment and analytical sections of guidelines; developing risk assessments for drinking water materials (looking for interest for joint projects); establishing a clear picture of requirements for NSF Standards (regulations or policies); working closely with the National Plumbing Code.
Members (and their jurisdictions) gave the Sectretariat support for adopting of the National Standards System and their certification program as a control measure for drinking water materials.
Decision/Action:
- Secretary to provide members with copy of the letter recommending the use of certified drinking water products by November 29, 2002.
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