Comment
Still burning
Until a couple of weeks ago, the prevailing argument for spending hundreds of millions of dollars on waterworks infrastructure was that a wave of population was about to swamp Prince Edward County. That argument has now been exposed as fiction. The County’s demographic experts never thought it was true. Now they are saying so out loud.
But no sooner had that story collapsed than a new one began to be floated. Picton’s water might not always be safe. While it is safe today, has been safe for 100 years, and has always been 100 per cent compliant with provincial regulations, Picton’s water source might not be so forever.
It is now the main reason some promoters of a plan to run a pipeline from deep in Lake Ontario off the shore of Wellington and pump water to Picton are pursuing it. Not to serve thousands of new homes, but rather to improve the source of water that has served Picton for more than a century.
Sadly, Shire Hall has burned through all its credibility on the waterworks file. It spent a lot of capital on selling the population growth myth. It has work to do to regain trust. It is in a poor position to scold council members.
It cannot now pull the fire alarm because of the possibility of a fire someday.
In his comments to Council on August 27, the County’s waterworks manager, Don Caza, warned that Council had a duty to make a decision—a duty to spend $360 million over eight years—or something bad might happen.
It was an inappropriate comment from the waterworks manager to council. Passion is great. Exuberance is charming. It is a good thing that the operator of the drinking water system cares about his product and wants the best quality source water.
But Caza stepped over the line with his comments to Council. To the extent that his remarks have caused—or have been used to cause—Picton residents to question the quality of their drinking water, he has created a serious problem. One that Shire Hall must now clean up
It is one thing to point to the risks of fixing your old car, it is quite another to suggest your kids might die unless you buy a new one—one you can’t afford. Caza is the operator of the drinking water system. It is his job to ensure Picton’s water is safe, that risks are managed, and that potential threats are mitigated. He can have a preference about where else he might draw water. He can and should have input into all such infrastructure matters. But his opinion must stop well short of scolding Council about standards of care—about bad things that might happen if they don’t listen to him.
It is a problem made worse by the lack of context accompanying his admonishments. All water sources—even Wellington’s—bear risks. The relevant question is: Are the risks being managed? Are they intensifying? Are the mitigation measures failing?
Without proper context, pulling the alarm bell serves only to create confusion and erode public trust. That is problematic when the issues are roads or parks—it is dangerous fearmongering when the issue is drinking water. It adds yet another blow to Shire Hall’s credibility.
It has not been a good few weeks in that regard.
It was previous senior leadership who fabricated the population growth boom story, so the stench doesn’t entirely belong to those now making decisions. Yet it is the current development services team that continues to promote a ruinously expensive regional water system, notwithstanding that new homebuilding in Picton and Wellington is at a standstill, with just four new home permits issued in Picton so far in 2026. None in Wellington. It is the current waterworks chief who is warning council members that they must act—or else.
Shire Hall must reassure Picton residents that its water is safe.
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