Auditor General Sheila Fraser’s 2009 status report will include a chapter on safety of drinking water.
The report, along with Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development Scott Vaughan’s report, is scheduled for tabling in the House of Commons on March 31.
The audit examined Health Canada’s progress in implementing the 2005 recommendations on reviewing and updating the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality, providing guidance to federal departments for safe drinking water at federal facilities, and monitoring the safety of drinking water on aircraft, trains and cruise ships. The report also considers whether Correctional Service Canada and Parks Canada Agency have improved the management of drinking water systems at their facilities and sites, based on the Health Canada’s guidance issued in late 2005. In addition, there’s a look at how Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency carry out their responsibilities for ensuring the safety of bottled drinking water.
