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(BY HUGO)

As announced by the Québec Ministry for Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks, the Regulation respecting the charges payable for the use of water published in the Gazette Officielle on 15 December 2010 has come into force 15 days after its publication.

Some of the significant features of Regulation were mentioned in a previous post. Some amendments to previous draft versions of the Regulation are as follows:

- Contrary to earlier versions, the manufacturing of canned, dried or marinated fruits and vegetables will finally not be subjected to the higher tariff (see section 5);

- Contrary to earlier versions, the higher tariff will only be applied to activities that incorporate water in the final product (section 5). This measure can be linked to the virtual water and water trade discussion. In a fall 2010 report on Freshwater Supply and Demand in Canada, Statistics Canada concluded that:

«More water is embedded in forest products than food. When precipitation was included, the production of exported lumber, wood pulp, paper, and other forest products required seven times more water than the production of exported agricultural commodities.» (p.6)

Wood and paper products are subjected to the Regulation (see section 3 and Schedule) but not to the higher tariff.

- The fines for contraventions to the Regulation are increased.

The first charges are due on 31 March 2012.