During an evening of discussion about water rights on Oct. 28, author and Council of Canadians national chairperson Maude Barlow encouraged local residents to defend the community against recent water taking efforts by Nestlé Waters Canada.
The company has proposed the purchase of the existing Middlebrook well just west of Elora to house a supplementary production well. The is currently undergoing a public comment period for a short-term pumping test over a period of up to 60 days.
The Oct. 28 event, hosted by the Centre Wellington chapter of the Council of Canadians, was well attended by members of the community.
The crowd heard from Save Our Water members Libby Carlaw and Donna McCaw, who expressed concerns about the potential water taking operation.
“We are ground zero in our watershed and in this province about how this water taking is going to happen,” said Carlaw.
McCaw said there are many unknowns that need to be answered, such as the zone of influence of the aquifer, how many farms and private wells are fed by the aquifer, the level of risk of contamination, if the wells being monitored are in the right location, who is liable and the effects on the local environment and the Grand River.
“Let’s take some more time, let’s do this right, let’s learn more about the aquifer itself, the possible effects of the pump test, and determine liability should things go wrong if it goes ahead,” said McCaw.
Mike Nagy, chair of Wellington Water Watchers, wanted to encourage the audience to spread the word about this issue.
“I’m asking everyone here tonight to push your own boundaries to go into territory that you might not feel comfortable … convert the non-converted is really what we need to do here,” he said.
Global water crisis
Barlow, the keynote speaker for the evening, said she has fought the Nestlé company all over the world.
“We actually have a global water crisis,” she said.
She shared stories about the Aral Sea disappearing, Ogallala aquifer depletion and the water pumping problems of the Great Lakes that could leave them “bone dry in 80 years.”
Barlow said she wanted to debunk the myth of the abundance of water here in Canada – and the myth that Canadians love their water.
“If we loved our water we would take better care of it,” she added.
Barlow continued to express her disdain with corporations’ power in the water-taking world.
“I’m trying to think why we give such a pass to corporations, because they have a lot of power, because they give governments a lot of money, because there’s often government corporate back and forth,” she said.
Barlow offered a solution. She said Canada needs a new water ethic where every policy and practice is precluded with the thought on the impact on water.
In closing, Barlow offered a success story of Tiny Township’s municipal landfill site 41, where local opponents had run out of options and staged a protest in front of the heavy equipment.
They eventually got to the stage of voting for a moratorium in council and won.
“It was raw democracy,” she said.
“Don’t give up. It is always too soon to give up. It is incredibly important that you build this movement, that you say ‘no’ to Nestlé, that you protect that water for yourselves, for nature, and for future generations – and it can be done.”
