[All] water control must remain local

[Ginny Quinn]

Absolutely vital ,Norah and Richard.   Yes the 407 is a wicked example of the idiocy of government failures to protect  the tax payers investments in this land.  Water is second only to the air we breathe  in the sustenance of life. We must protect and keep it local especially . We  have more hydrogeologists and water specialty people in Waterloo Region than anywhere in North America because we are one of the largest communities built on TOP of it's own water supply.   Ginny
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Norah & Richard 
  To: gren 
  Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 2010 12:00 PM
  Subject: [All] water control must remain local


  Water control must remain local 
  Jun 04, 2010 - 3:00 PM
  http://www.yorkregion.com/opinion/editorial/article/829238-water-control-must-remain-local

  We have reason to cheer and reason to worry.It's good news that the federal government, through Environment Minister Jim Prentice, promised municipalities across the country to help upgrade local water delivery systems and rebuild more than 25 per cent of our wastewater treatment infrastructure.

  He made this commitment at last weekend's Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference in Toronto, in the face of new and stringent federal regulations unveiled in March to protect our water supply. Some 1,000 municipal waterworks need repairs or complete rebuilding to ensure safe and secure water for residents.

  The tenth anniversary last month of the Walkerton tragedy reminds us that tainted water can still kill in our modern industrialized nation and that small or large, municipal water systems must be safeguarded.

  But while we cheer federal and municipal partnerships to improve water delivery in our towns and cities, a more global threat to our water needs our attention.

  A Canadian trade lawyer is sounding the alarm that foreign companies would gain access to our municipal water services - and maybe even our water - if the free trade deal now being negotiated between Canada and the European Union becomes a reality.

  The EU apparently wants drinking water services to be included in trade agreements, opening the door to multinational firms, Canadian Steve Shrybman told the Vancouver-based advocacy group Centre for Civic Governance.

  He joins with other experts to warn that Canada should not sell its water resources and should be very wary of signing trade agreements which might allow international investment rules to trump locally owned or managed waterworks.

  The Council of Canadians is another nationalistic voice declaring that Europe is "thirsty for Canadian water" and wants unlimited access to invest in our water services.

  Think that's preposterous? Think 407! Our own Ontario government sold the toll highway to a Spanish consortium - which promply raised the rates on every driver using the road, and can continue to do so with impunity.

  Why would we take all the small but vital steps through York Region's Water for Tomorrow campaign to save our water resources - such as buying low-flush toilets and showerheads or rainbarrels - just to let a foreign company invest in and assume partial control of our regional water systems?

  Think of all the work done to improve the water quality in the Lake Simcoe watershed and the cleanup over decades of our rivers that used to be dumping grounds. Why would we let those hard-fought environmental projects go to waste?

  And if we think oil is the "gold" in the ground everyone wants today, water is likely to be the resource other countries desperately want in future.

  Many Canadians believe we should retain firm control over our water and water resources.

  While we should be grateful our federal government understands it must help local governments modernize and protect our water supply, we must also ensure our MPs and federal negotiators know foreign companies should never have access to or control of our water.





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