Not content with the environmental chaos it has already succeeded in bringing about, the government quickly turns its attention to water quality issues, an area still burdened by excessive red tape. Ontario's contribution to the Great Lakes Clean-up effort is cancelled. The Act also serves to pave the way for the privatization of municipal water systems by making the municipalities responsible for future capital costs which many will not have the resources to assume, thus making them takeover targets for private corporations. The Tories' model is the United Kingdom, where Margaret Thatcher privatized water services in 1989. In the midst of the upheaval, there are many voices trying to warn the government of the dangers of what it is doing.
Environmental organizations prepare earnest briefs arguing against the cutbacks.
Their concerns are dismissed out of hand. The Provincial Ombudsman issues an urgent report saying that cutbacks have been so damaging that the government is no longer capable of providing the services which it is mandated to provide. The Provincial Auditor, in his annual reports, criticizes the Ministry of the Environment for deficient monitoring of groundwater resources and for failing to audit small water plants across the province. The International Joint Commission states its concern about Ontario's neglect of water quality issues. Other events underscore these warnings.