Perhaps these findings explain why the average Torontonian, who is forced to pay for his or her water, uses 171 litres a day, whereas the average Quebec resident, who does not pay directly for water, uses 411 litres of water a day. It may also explain why the average Canadian uses 350 litres of water a day, whereas the French, who charge 95 percent of the true cost of water, get along with 150 litres a day. Whether these statistics impress the politicians is not clear. Being a water commissar is fun. You control a resource and get to tell people what is good for them.
User fees make the responsibility for conserving water in part a citizen's decision.
Such democratic solutions are always a hard sell on any Parliament Hill.