Canada’s water should not be for sale to corporate greed

Our precious water supply should never be up for grabs to the highest bidder. Never, but especially when that bidder is a corporate giant looking to bottle the commodity and sell it for a profit. Canada’s water supply needs to be available for our own residents, for our agricultural production, for our municipalities, and for industry for usage, not for re-selling at a profit.
Nestle’s Water is in hot water these days as it continues to draw from water sources across the country, and in the United States, at a minimal cost; then turn around and sell it at premium prices.
Ontario’s Environment Ministry announced on Monday that it would be reviewing Nestle’s water permit in Aberfoyle, a request made by Premier Kathleen Wynne, who stated that there is a big difference between taking water for agricultural or industrial use and taking it for selling bottled water.  Currently, that province charges $3.71 per million litres.
On Monday, it was announced that the bottled water giant had also purchased a water well near Elora, Ontario.
The company has a history of sneaking in and taking water, sometimes in environmentally sensitive areas and in at least one case, were taking it without paying a penny for it.
In June, Nestle’s allowed their water permit for drawing water from the San Bernardino National Forest to lapse, but just days ago, a judge declared that the water permit was valid, despite California’s ongoing drought situation. That decision is currently being appealed.
n May, voters struck down Nestle’s plan to draw natural spring water from the Columbia River Gorge, stating that the water was needed first for its residents and county, which is primarily agriculture-based. The company argued that Nestle’s would be able to create jobs for the community. In the end, their argument did not hold water with county officials, who voted 14-55.
Nestle’s also drew criticism last summer when they continued to draw 265 million litres from water sources in British Columbia even though the province was experiencing drought and fighting wildfires. At the time, they and other corporations were drawing the water for free, but started paying $2.25 per million litres this year.
Despite opposition, Nestle’s contended that it was drawing water from an underground aquifer and not from rivers, streams, or lakes.
On Thursday, the Council of Canadians, an advocacy group, had launched a campaign to boycott Nestle’s Water in Ontario.

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