When Liberal MPP David Caplan first presented his private member’s bill to get Ontarians to pay the “full cost” of water, headlines warned that it could mean as much as $50 a month more for every household. Since most people don’t normally give two-seconds thought to the cost of tap water, many asked, what for? Isn’t water free?

Well, yes and no. With over 100,000 square kilometers of lakes in Ontario alone, we tend to think of water as just a gift from nature. But getting that water into every home and business in the province, and treating it both before and after it's been used, doesn’t come cheap. While historically the costs have been covered by other means, today there’s an unfunded liability for repairs in the billions and an aging system that’s only going to need more and more investment as the days pass. For a full overview of the water sector, please see the report prepared for the province by the Water Strategy Expert Panel. On tonight’s show, Liberal MPP David Caplan makes the case to fund water and water infrastructure on a user pay system.

Last year, Professor Bryan Karney talked to the Agenda about the state of Ontario's water infrastructure and clearly agrees that the price for water in the province should double or triple.

Remarkably, he also recommends against drinking water directly from even the most pristine-looking lake in Ontario, saying it’s a risk not worth taking.  

Yet, all life depends on water to survive so many people argue that barriers to clean water need to be minimized, including keeping cost down. As you can see in the documentary “Water on the Table,” Canadian ‘water-warrior’ Maude Barlow wants water declared a human right.

But if even if you agree that water is a human right, it still needs to be treated and delivered, and someone has to pay the bill. What do you think - who should pay for the cost of water? Individuals on per-use basis through utility fees as Caplan suggests? Everyone equally in the province by funding it through general taxation? Or just let the market decide and privatize the public utility? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

(For those really interested in infrastructure, have a look at these beautiful maps from the Toronto Star depicting the age of the pipes beneath the city.)