The central question this dissertation attempts to answer is whether there is practical value in
Ontario legislatively mandating that municipalities implement an environmental management
system (EMS) standard for their wastewater and stormwater activities, to be added to the
drinking water quality management system standard (DWQMS) that is already statutorily
required. This research explores the evolving governance approaches of the municipal drinking,
wastewater and stormwater sectors in Ontario, examining theories of governance, a review of
the literature concerning policy convergence and standards as instruments of organizational
innovation and the legal and policy framework within which municipal water management
takes place.<div>The research method employed a combination of semi-structured interviews, case studies
and a focus group as data gathering techniques. The research finds evidence in support of and
wide recognition of the practical value of EMS by assisting municipalities in meeting their
environmental objectives, addressing environmental and property damage risks, providing an
additional mechanism of public accountability, transparency, and improving alignment with the
existing legal structure. It was also apparent that there is no political appetite in the provincial
government to embark on a mandated EMS, so the preferred option at this time is a
provincially-endorsed, voluntary sector-specific standard for wastewater and also for stormwater, which could constitute a catalyst to boost voluntary uptake of EMS by small to
medium municipalities (as it is already occurring with large municipalities). This standard could
be based on a customized variation of the ISO 14001, DWQMS and other standards to address
existing regulatory gaps. </div><div>The research also reveals that Ontario municipal water management governance is notable
because governments are drawing on independently developed and implementing non-state
forms of regulation (such as EMS standards), in which private sector, civil society and multistakeholder rule instruments, processes, institutions and actors all perform important roles in
support of conventional state-based regulation, showing both horizontal and vertical policy
convergence. </div><div>A limitation of the research is that it focuses on water governance of municipalities of one
jurisdiction. Future research could examine the practical utility of examining water governance
to other contexts (e.g., water governance for First Nations, and in non-Canadian jurisdictions) </div>
A Transnational Urban Political Ecology of Water Infrastructures: Global Water Policies and Water Management in Hanoi
