THE TAKING OF WATER FOR PROFIT
CANADA, STOP WATER EXPORT
WHAT QUESTIONS DO YOU HAVE?
A “SCROLL THROUGH” INDEX TO ANSWERS
IN CONTINUOUS UPDATE
ORIGIN OF INDEX: 2019-01-28 The “Strathcona Resolution” B.C.
If the subject of your question about Taking Water for Export is not in the Index, use the Comments at bottom to say so. Thanks!
As at August 24, 2019 – – rudimentary beginning.
=++========+=++++=
ABORIGINAL TITLE, WATER . . . see First Nations (Aboriginal title is an important issue in the protection of water.)
ABSURDITY OF WATER EXPORT FOR PROFIT . . . see GEROLSTEINER, the export of water from Gerolstein, Germany to Canada.
ACTIONS . . . Priority: efforts to secure
. . . Passing of “Strathcona Resolution” at 2019 UBCM Convention, Sept 23 to 27, Vancouver, BC
AGRI-FOOD CANADA, programme to grow the export of water from Canada, includes funding and support for companies. The market in China is targeted for growth . . . see under GOVERNMENT, FEDERAL
ALLOCATION, OVER-ALLOCATION OF WATER
. . . 2011-10-01 Cash Flow Buying and selling priceless water, from Alberta Views. Comprehensive article.
TOPICS ADDRESSED: First In Time, First In Right (FITFIR), Water licenses, Cash-for-water-rights, CrossIron Mills, Nestle, Okotoks, Sheep River, Bob Sandford, UN Water for Life Decade, Cdn Myth of limitless abundant water, Water market, Irrigation Districts, some History, over-allocation
what else do we have re Allocation of Licenses? It’s an important issue. And need to counter use of the word “Rights”.
APLUC (Arrowsmith Parks & Land Use Council) . . . see also under ORGANIZATIONS (contact info)
. . . 2019-02-05 From APLUC re Strathcona Resolution, letter of support sent to . . . for use as a Template (re BC Municipal Councillors attending Sept UBCM Convention?)
RE-do, or do more. The following are cross-referenced in the INDEX to the above Letter from APLUC, along with a critical question asked, if there is one. But they are about LAWS & REGULATIONS.
- “Critical Environmental Flows”
- Water Sustainability Act
- Drinking Water and Watershed Protection Program
- “Community Watershed”
- Forest Practices Board
- Watershed Assessment and Management of Hydrologic and Geomorphic Risk in the Forest Sector, Draft Professional Practice Guidelines
- Laws
- French Creek
Feb 7/19: With thanks to David Todtman who wrote:
APLUC sent a letter late in the fall of 2018 to the Ministry of Forests requesting a moratorium on logging in the Mt. Arrowsmith watershed. That letter cited concerns regarding recent large clear cuts. The letter expressed concern that the last study of the watershed was 18 years ago. The letter noted there have been great pressures on the watershed in the last 18 years including logging, residential development, and climate change. If I recall correctly the letter also called for a new study of the watershed given these factors.
The current APLUC letter is the response of the Ministry to the December ALPUC letter. The Ministry’s letter can be summed up briefly thus: ‘thank you for your interest.’
The discussion between APLUC and the Ministry relates to some things regarding (Stop Water Export). . . . The APLUC letter indicates the distinction between ground water and surface water is blurry at best. I was also interested to read the part about the Sunshine Coast logging moratorium and court activity.
AQUIFER WATER . . . see WATER, GROUND
ARAL SEA . . . see DESTINATION, Look where we’re headed
. . . also in
AVICC (Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities) . . . see under GOVERNMENT, REGIONAL
BAKKER, KAREN – – https://karenbakker.org/
Director of the Program on Water Governance at the University of British Columbia.
. . . also see BOOKS & REPORTS (Eau Canada; also, Bakker’s work is cited in the Rosenberg Reports)
BARLOW, MAUDE . . . also see BOOKS
Without all that Maude Barlow is, and has done, we would not have a hope in Hades of achieving our goals for the protection of water.
Personally, I’d like to dedicate our combined efforts to dismantle the Agri-Food Canada Program for the Export of Water, to Maude. Here is TO MAUDE!
BOOKLET, BOOKMARK . . . see COMMUNICATIONS
BOOKS & REPORTS
Boiling Point, by Maude Barlow
From Richard: I might add that Brenda Leigh – the Strathcona Regional director who put together the water motion – said she got lots of information on water that helped her when preparing the motion, from Maude Barlow’s excellent book that we sold her at a CoC booth last Labour Day.
State of our Aquifers 2017, Groundwater Levels Edition, booklet from the Regional District of Nanaimo, www.dwwp.ca
Water Policy and Governance in Canada – Oct 31 2016
David Todtman, in contact with Diane Dupont, re Valuation of Water, Feb 3/19:
Diane: As you will see, surface water has been more the focus of this work than ground water.
David: Even though our immediate concern is ground water, the abstract suggests it will help us learn more about issues related to how value is assigned to water.
From the Back Cover
This book provides an insightful and critical assessment of the state of Canadian water governance and policy. It adopts a multidisciplinary variety of perspectives and considers local, basin, provincial and national scales. Canada’s leading authorities from the social sciences, life and natural sciences address pressing water issues in a non-technical language, making them accessible to a wide audience.
Even though Canada is seen as a water-rich country, with 7% of the world’s reliable flow of freshwater and many of the world’s largest rivers, the country nevertheless faces a number of significant water-related challenges, stemming in part from supply-demand imbalances but also a range of water quality issues. Against the backdrop of a water policy landscape that has changed significantly in recent years, this book therefore seeks to examine water-related issues that are not only important for the future of Canadian water management but also provide insights into transboundary management, non-market valuation of water, decentralized governance methods, the growing importance of the role of First Nations peoples, and other topics in water management that are vital to many jurisdictions globally. The book also presents forward-looking approaches such as resilience theory and geomatics to shed light on emerging water issues.
Researchers, students and those directly involved in the management of Canadian waters will find this book a valuable source of insight. In addition, this book will appeal to policy analysts, people concerned about Canadian water resources specifically as well as global water issues.
To the Last Drop, author Michael Keating, Toronto : Macmillan of Canada, c1986. . . . see also CORRUPTION (Free Trade Deals, Simon Reisman & Brian Mulroney)
Keating was from Windsor, ON, became a G&M reporter on the environment. Internationally respected, Did good reporting on the Berger Commission – –
(ASIDE: remember Tom Berger who set a high water mark for consultation with indigenous people, Northerners over the MacKenzie Valley pipeline – – Berger travelled for months in the Arctic with interpreters. Was determined that these people needed to provide input, and they could not do it if the Commission did not travel out to them.)
To the Last Drop established Keating as an authority – the book is considered “a classic” in its field. I have remained curious about whatever happened to Keating. He continued to be involved in the issue of pollution of the Great Lakes, but there’s not a whole lot about him. Might have died?
I did track him down, Meridian Dam battle – – would have been about 2001 – – to talk to him about the Old Boys’ Club meeting that Simon Reisman spoke at. It’s written about in the book. Damning. I must have given away my copy of the book in one of the moves. (Reisman – – Chief Negotiator for FTA, he and Mulroney responsible for last minute removal of the Exemption for Water in the Trade Agreement)
Keating was unwilling to talk about any of it. He had taken a bad hit with the publication of To the Last Drop from the powers-that-be. As you can imagine. What Reisman had to say to “the old boys” was shocking, given his role in the FTA. The man negotiating on Canada’s behalf, Mulroney’s appointee, who claimed that Canada HAD to give up the exemption on water at the 11th hour, in order to get an Agreement, or it would have been game over for the FTA – – telling the Big Money Boys how much money there was to be made by selling Canadian water to the U.S. The plan has been, since BEFORE the first Trade Deal with the U.S., that Big Money interests in Canada and in the U.S. would get access to the water in Canada, to sell it for profit, just like oil and gas. Reisman and Mulroney lied when they said that they “had to” give up the exemption on water, otherwise the U.S. would not have signed the deal. (See also CORRUPTION).
TO THE LAST DROP: CANADA AND THE WORLD’S WATER CRISIS.
Copies in the York University Library, also U Manitoba, Australia., ….
https://umanitoba.ca/outreach/cm/docs/cmarchive/vol15no2/revtothelastdrop.html
It is a paradox. Canada has one-seventh of the world’s fresh water and yet we are fast approaching a time when we will have a shortage of safe, clean water. On every side we seem intent on destroying this natural resource through carelessness or outright disregard for the environment. The discouraging part is that the pattern shows no sign of changing. We continue to speed toward a national and global water crisis.
Keating has explored the question of diminishing water resources in great detail. An award-winning environmental writer for The Globe and Mail, he brings to this study a thorough knowledge of his topic, plus the ability to write in a way non-specialists will appreciate. Early chapters in To the Last Drop examine the nature of the pollution that affects our water and the extent to which Canadian sources have been damaged. The central part of the book focuses on specific aspects, such as pollution of the Great Lakes, acid rain, the effects of climate change, water diversion schemes, and ownership questions. Keating brings his study to a close by looking at what has been done to deal with the problem, and what remains to be done. His conclusion: we must act quickly or face serious consequences.
To The Last Drop has a great deal to offer to students. The author has provided background information hut has kept the book accessible for students by avoiding a strong scientific focus. The broad topic coverage will make the book useful in many situations. Appendices offer up-to-date statistics and sources for more information. In short, the book will make a valuable addition to a collection. Recommended.
Graham A.Draper, Longstaff S.S., Richmond Hill, Ont.
Continuing under “BOOKS & REPORTS“:
ABORIGINAL TITLE IS AN IMPORTANT ASPECT. Two very good books, from under FIRST NATIONS, JURISDICTION AND ACTIVISM:
“The Haida Gwaii Lesson; A Strategic Playbook for Indigenous Sovereignty”, by Mark Dowie, 2017.
Pages 110-116 are specifically related to the court case, Haida Nation v. British Columbia. The book itself is an eye-opener for Canadians.
Page 162: Under “WHEREAS b. (EBM) Ecosystem Based Management – – is talked about elsewhere in the book, too, I believe.
“Unsettling Canada, A National Wake-up Call”, by Arthur Manuel & Grand Chief Ronald Derrickson . . .
an engaging page-turner, for every Canadian to read.
2007-03-14 Water: valuable & important document, Rosenberg Report
2007-03-25 Water: Lessons For Canada, Report 2, Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy
2006-12-05 BOOK, Eau Canada: The Future of Canada’s Water by Karen Bakker & Water: now in the hands of Dept Industry and Resources.
BOTTLED WATER INDUSTRY
. . . see also EXPORT; . . . see also LOCATIONS
General . . .
Largest bottlers in the world, who are they? . . .
Plants in Canada . . . see LOCATIONS
Water Bottlers’ Association (yes B.C., but Canada ?) . . .
Weakness, single use plastics, public awareness, . . .
“BOWSER STRATEGY” (Stop Ocean Sewage – SOS) . . . Effective use of Signs (See under Communications)
BRIBERY? COLLUSION? EXCHANGE OF FAVOURS? . . . see CORRUPTION
CAMPAIGNS . . . see ACTIONS
“CASH FOR WATER RIGHTS”, Alberta example, CrossIron Mills . . . see ALLOCATION OF WATER . . .
CHINA, DEMAND FOR BOTTLED WATER
. . .
. . . Also See Under GOVERNMENT, FEDERAL (Agri-food Canada’s, “CONCLUSION”)
CLIMATE BREAK-DOWN . . .
. . . 2019-02-19 Implications for export of water, Opinion Poll Results on Climate Change, David Todtman
. . . (To be done – quote the sources. Look under “Locations”) Drought and forest fires in B.C., associated with climate change and lowered water levels, fueled the anger around Hope, B.C. over the taking of water for profit by Nestle.
. . . Area wells running dry in summer, associations with climate change, helped drive the resistance that shut down the attempted water bottling at Merville. Subsequently the “Strathcona Resolution” was passed, calling on the Government to stop the taking of groundwater for export.
. . . In Ontario, (Wellington – Aberfoyle) it was again drought that coalesced the opposition against for-profit taking of water. It led to a provincial moratorium.
(MORATORIUMS . . . see under LAWS & REGULATIONS, ENFORCEMENT, COURT RULINGS)
COLONIZING FACTOR . . .
COMMODIFICATION OF WATER . . . see ALLOCATION OF WATER
COMMUNICATIONS
. . . Booklet
. . . Bookmark Template, Stop Water Export (like a business card, to hand out) . . . see TEMPLATES
. . . Presentations
. . . Signs (Stop Water Export/Water is Life). Don’t put out without accompanying literature.
. . . Website
. . . Zine
“COMMUNITY WATERSHED”
see under APLUC, Letter to Government, Feb 2019.
” . . . we are uncertain what particular protection measures are accorded to such watersheds. . . . if moratoria are not acceptable to the provincial government or the courts, what other avenues are open to communities or citizens who wish to protect their drinking water and ecosystems other than the Acts and regulations cited in your letter?”
CONFERENCE ON WATER
CONFLICT-OF-INTEREST . . . see CORRUPTION
CORRUPTION
Corporate Mapping Project Corporate mapping for water export?
Judge (2016) says it’s misfeasance, “Kafkaesque Abuse of Power in Former B.C. Government” (Vander Zalm)
From the other side (California), the L.A. Times:
2018-01-22 Video: TimberWest and Professional Reliance, Great Bear Rainforest, Tavish Campbell.
EBM, corruption through de-regulation and Orwellian new speak.
Track down Tavish. Get an update. Connect.
The “Strathcona Resolution” is a continuation of the battle for control of the water in Canada. CORRUPTION is a constant factor. For our purposes, how about if we limit the “history” to the period starting in about 1980.
Free Trade Agreements
REMOVAL of the EXEMPTION on WATER that was in the Draft copy of the FTA (Free Trade Agreement)
Information scattered. When time permits, I’ll make one consolidated posting on the ROLE OF SIMON REISMAN AND BRIAN MULRONEY. For now,
see also under BOOKS, To the Last Drop – – – more details.
“CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL FLOWS” . . . see Letter to Government, Feb 1/19, under APLUC, “who establishes and monitors “Critical Environmental Flows”?
COURT RULINGS . . . see under LAWS
CUMBERLAND REGIONAL DISTRICT . . . see COMOX VALLEY REGIONAL DISTRICT (CVRD) under GOVERNMENT, REGIONAL
DESTINATION, Look where we’re headed . . .
“DRINKING WATER AND WATERSHED PROTECTION PROGRAM” (Regional District)
monitoring water quality in various rivers and streams in this part of Vancouver Island. . . . However, this monitoring program may not be thorough enough to measure the specific effects of logging and other land altering activities in the upper watershed.
see under APLUC, Letter to Government, Feb. 2019
DIVERSION OF WATER ROBS SALISH SEA OF FRESH WATER (Aral Sea, Salton Sea). . . Related to:
ECONOMICS of WATER EXPORT . . . see 2019-01-24 Export of Water, for profit. Economic argument. “You cannot give up something that gives you income”. In a system that measures success by expansion – – every year “more”, always “growth” in sales. When the product is water? (Submission to Strathcona District Board)
EBM (ECOSYSTEM BASED MANAGEMENT)
. . . see under CORRUPTION, video re Timber West.
. . . see also under BOOKS, “The Haida Gwaii Lesson; A Strategic Playbook for Indigenous Sovereignty”
Page 162: Under “WHEREAS b. (EBM) Ecosystem Based Management – – is talked about elsewhere in the book, too, I believe.
ELECTIONS, see also GOVERNMENTS
Federal, October 21, 2019 . . .
Provincial General Elections, B.C. . . . every four years, 3rd Saturday in October
EMPOWERMENT . . . (STRATEGIES)
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
Water export robs the Salish Sea and its estuaries, of fresh water inflow . . . see DIVERSION OF WATER ROBS SALISH SEA OF FRESH WATER (Aral Sea, Salton Sea)
(Research on rising salinity? On thermal changes? Impact on fisheries)
Shoreline chemistry is very complicated
Add – – –
ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS, WHAT ARE THEY? WHO PAYS FOR THEM?
EXEMPTION on TRADE IN WATER . . . see CORRUPTION, FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS
EXPORT
. . . see also HISTORY
. . . see also DIVERSION OF WATER ROBS SALISH SEA OF FRESH WATER (Aral Sea, Salton Sea)
. . . see also CORRUPTION
To where? . . .
From which provinces, territories? . . .
Dollar value of Export Market . . . (BOTTLED WATER INDUSTRY)
Volume of Water Exported . . .
Broken down by:
bottled water export
bulk export via pipeline
bulk export via tanker
FANNY BAY . . . see LOCATIONS
FEDERAL ELECTION . . . see ELECTIONS
FEES FOR WATER BOTTLERS . . . (Ontario, 2018) Fees for bottlers of water jump from $3.71 to $503.71 per (from 2018-11-19 Layoffs at Nestlé’s Aberfoyle water bottling plant, Guelph Mercury
FIRST IN TIME FIRST IN RIGHT (FITFIR), ALLOCATION OF WATER . . . see ALLOCATION OF WATER
FIRST NATIONS, JURISDICTION AND ACTIVISM, protection of land, water and forests
Haida Gwaii . . . (Reference: 2004-11-18 Supreme Court of Canada decision, Haida Nation v. British Columbia, Terri-Lynn Williams, Haida Gwaii lawyer, sucessfully argued aboriginal title, tree farm licenses.
Reference, book “The Haida Gwaii Lesson; A Strategic Playbook for Indigenous Sovereignty”, by Mark Dowie, 2017.
Pages 110-116 are specifically related to the court case, Haida Nation v. British Columbia. The book itself is an eye-opener for Canadians.
Reference, an engaging page-turner, Aboriginal Title:
“Unsettling Canada, A National Wake-up Call”, by Arthur Manuel & Grand Chief Ronald Derrickson . . . p. 17 (STRATEGIES, #11, #15)
2018-11-24 Six Nations and Wellington Water Watchers join forces at Nestle protest, Guelph Today
EXCERPT:
“We’re going to greet them with love anyway because our relatives that make bad decisions need to be welcomed into the community that is making the right ones,” said indigenous activist Eryn Wise of Seeding Sovereignty.
“As indigenous peoples, even though we know it’s not our jobs to be emotional support folks for everyone else, we end up doing it because we are caretakers, we are land defenders and we are people that are going to save this planet,” Wise said.
FOREST PRACTICES BOARD . . . see under APLUC, Letter to Government, Feb 2019
FREE TRADE DEALS, A FACTOR . . .
FRENCH CREEK . . . see under APLUC, Letter to Government, Feb 2019
GEROLSTEINER, carbonated natural mineral water, Theatre of the Absurd, the export of water from Gerolstein, Germany to Canada. . . . (to be done)
GIBBONS, BRUCE . . . instrumental in the on-going battle, see under MERVILLE
GISBORNE LAKE, NFLD export of lake water by tanker (heavy protest stopped it) . . . see under HISTORY
GLACIERS
. . . 2014-05-22 Island glaciers will disappear in 25 years, scientist says, Times Colonist
. . . 2018-12-15 Submission, International Trade, re Export of Water.
. . . Decline (melting of) . . . (“Dear Prof Smith”)
. . . Deceptive labeling by industry . . . (BOTTLED WATER INDUSTRY)
GOOD WORKS PROTECTING WATER, e.g.restoration of salmon-spawn rivers, UNDONE BY GOVERNMENTS . . .
GOVERNANCE
Program on Water Governance at the University of British Columbia. See also . . . Bakker, Karen
GOVERNMENTS
. . . see also LAWS & REGULATIONS, ENFORCEMENT, COURT RULINGS
. . . see also GOOD WORKS PROTECTING WATER, UNDONE BY GOVERNMENT
GOVERNMENT, FEDERAL
Role in promoting, funding, support for expansion of water export for profit . . .
International Trade Canada, role . . .
Agri-food Canada, role of . . .
2018-12-15 Submission, International Trade, re Export of Water.
Documents egregious process, role of Agri-Food Canada, Members of Standing Committee International Trade, Who the submission is made to, and updates.
GOVERNMENT, PROVINCIAL, B.C.
Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (FLNRORD)
West Coast Natural Resource Region
Larry Barr, Acting Regional Executive Director
(More to be added)
GOVERNMENT, REGIONAL DISTRICTS
UBCM (Union of B.C. Municipalities)
List of Regional Districts, B.C.
AVICC (Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities)
https://avicc.ca/
(see also under STRATHCONA RESOLUTION to AVICC)
. . . is the longest established area association under the umbrella of the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM). The area association was established in 1950. It now has a membership of 53 municipalities and regional districts that stretches from the North Coast Regional District down to the tip of Vancouver Island and includes Powell River, the Sunshine Coast, the Central Coast and the North Coast. The Association deals with issues and concerns that affect large urban areas to small rural communities.
The Annual General Meeting & Convention held in April each year provides members with the opportunity to bring forward issues and concerns from their individual communities through resolutions and debates. . . . AVICC members are encouraged to use this website to keep members quickly updated on issues.
AGM April 12 – 14, 2019 in Powell River, B.C.
Deadline for members to submit a resolution for AGM: Feb 7, 2019
COMOX VALLEY REGIONAL DISTRICT (CVRD) . . . did they pass a Water Export Resolution? Inquiry sent Jan 17, and left message Jesse Ketler, Director, T: 250-336-2291; C: 250-898-9085
STRATHCONA REGIONAL DISTRICT . . . see STRATHCONA
GROUND WATER . . . see
(sometimes referred to as “aquifers”, but it includes more than that)
(as distinct from “surface” water which includes man-made reservoirs.)
. . . see also BOOKS, in the Rosenberg Reports.
RDN booklet “State of the Aquifers” . . .
Groundwater shortage in California . . . referenced in presentation to RDN, Jan 8, 2019, by Deborah McKinley
https://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/nestle-gets-away-pumping-californias-water-next-nothing/
Trend Lines, aquifer levels . . .
HAIDA GWAII . . . see under FIRST NATIONS, HAIDA GWAII (Aboriginal Title)
HISTORY
. . . see also BOOKS & REPORTS
. . . see also MEDIA REPORTS (chronological order)
. . . see also article under ALLOCATION OF WATER
1991, hundred-million-dollar tanker export from Fanny Bay to U.S. . . . court case still in process, 2016
And from the other side (California), L.A. Times:
1999, Gisborne Lake, Newfoundland . . . bulk export of water by tanker from remote Gisborne Lake in Newfoundland was almost a national issue. Newfoundland sets out what it saw as the Federal Responsibility on the issue. 1999-10-02 Newfoundland agrees to ban water export, with Ottawa’s help, CBC
2006-12-05 Water: now in the hands of Dept Industry and Resources.
2011-03-30 Plans to export water, though unpopular, keep springing up
2018-11-24 Six Nations and Wellington Water Watchers join forces at Nestle protest, Guelph Today
EXCERPT:
“We’re going to greet them with love anyway because our relatives that make bad decisions need to be welcomed into the community that is making the right ones,” said indigenous activist Eryn Wise of Seeding Sovereignty.
“As indigenous peoples, even though we know it’s not our jobs to be emotional support folks for everyone else, we end up doing it because we are caretakers, we are land defenders and we are people that are going to save this planet,” Wise said.
HOPE, BC Nestle water bottling plant, see LOCATIONS
HOW TO SUPPLY DRINKING WATER WHERE LOCAL WATER ISN’T DRINKABLE? . . .
“IN WHOSE INTEREST?” . . .
INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS . . . what are they? Who pays for them?
INTERNATIONAL TRADE CANADA . . . see under GOVERNMENT, FEDERAL
IRRIGATION . . . see ALLOCATION OF WATER
JURISDICTION for protection of land, water and forests
. . . see ? LAW ? GOVERNANCE ?
. . . see also FIRST NATIONS, HAIDA GWAII (Aboriginal Title)
LAKE ATHABASCA, on the border between Saskatchewan and the NorthWest Territories,
export of water through a system of dams to the U.S.. . . . see in 2019-01-24 Export of Water, for profit. Economic argument. “You cannot give up something that gives you income”. In a system that measures success by expansion – – every year “more”, always “growth” in sales. When the product is water? (Submission to Strathcona District Board)
LAWS & REGULATIONS, ENFORCEMENT, COURT RULINGS
GENERAL and then, by JURISDICTION (Federal, Provincial, Territorial)
to be added: see under APLUC
GENERAL
What would good legislation look like? . . .
See also . . . this heading (LAWS), under BY JURISDICTION, “B.C.”
See also . . . STRATHCONA RESOLUTION
See also . . . under BOOKS, Water Policy and Governance in Canada
– – – – – – – – – – – – –
Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2019
Subject: we are looking for someone to answer questions about draft legislation
TO: Dale Dewhurst
Athabasca University
Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Legislative Drafting
Program Co-Director
We are a group from Parksville-Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island.
Your program came up in a web search on “training for lawyers who draft legislation”.
Would you be able to help us find someone we could talk with?
We would like some ideas – – what might legislation to stop the export of water from Canada look like?
It’s a public interest matter:
Opposition to the taking of water for bottling north of Courtenay on Vancouver Island led to consternation in the Parksville-Qualicum Beach area. We discovered there are already established water bottling operations here. The water goes to the domestic, American, and overseas markets. . . .
Might you be able to help us find someone with whom we could have a conversation: if there was to be legislation to prohibit the export of water from Canada, what might it look like? . . .
– – – – – – – –
From: Dale Dewhurst [mailto:daled < @ >athabascau.ca]
Sent: January 11, 2019
Subject: Re: we are looking for someone to answer questions about draft legislation
Hello Sandra:
You’ve asked a very big question. All legislation must be within the particular governments jurisdiction (i.e. either Federal or provincial). Then the particular structure of legislation will vary depending upon its purposes, goals, and chosen enforcement mechanisms.
I think that, as a starting point, you may want to have a look at: https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/
|
for the law societies members of the. Federation of Law Societies of Canada |
The link above is to the Federal legislation but once you get to the page you’ll see that all of the provinces are listed on the left hand side. You can start a broad search at the top of any of the pages; or, you can look at particular legislation by going into the “Statutes and Regulations” link.
For example, if you click into “British Columbia”, then “Statutes and Regulations”, then search “water” in the document text search box, you get 100s of results relating to legislation, cases, and other sources of legal information. Then, by reading a few of them, you can begin narrowing your search by adding extra search terms and/or limiting the kinds of documents being searched.
I think this will give you the best start. Also, by going through some of the general searches you should also get several ideas for things you may want to follow up on that you hadn’t originally considered.
Good luck, Dale
Dale Dewhurst, J.D., LL.M.
Associate Professor
Legal Studies & Legislative Drafting
http://lgst.athabascau.ca/
Co-Director, Post Baccalaureate Diploma in Legislative Drafting
http://www.athabascau.ca/pbdld/
Skype: dale.dewhurst
Athabasca University
1 University Drive
Athabasca, AB, T9S 3A3
Direct, North America: 1-800-785-9346 FREE
Direct, Edmonton Area: 780-424-1486
LAWS, EXPERIENCE, ENFORCEMENT, BY JURISDICTION
. . . see also FIRST NATIONS (Aboriginal Title to Lands and Water)
Federal
B.C.
. . . 2019-03-15 B.C.: COURT RULES WATER IS A COMMODITY
. . . 2018-11-13 The growing pains of updating BC’s water law, Watershed Sentinel, by Gavin MacRae
. . . see STRATHCONA RESOLUTION
. . . Judge says it’s malfeasance, (Vander Zalm Government). I don’t understand – – – no charges?
How to define “water”? What if you add a mineral or vitamin?
Alberta . . .
Saskatchewan . . .
Manitoba . . .
Ontario . . .
The battle over bottling has been raging for some time. Looking as though the Provincial moratorium on the taking of water for bottling will be extended “until the start of 2020”.
Nestle is making permanent lay-offs. Factors: a large jump in the Ontario fees for water. Drought in Ontario helped focus the opposition to Nestle’s water bottling business.
First Nations Youth were the organizers of an event against Nestle. The Wellington Water Watchers joined them. 2018-11-24 Six Nations and Wellington Water Watchers join forces at Nestle protest, Guelph Today
Chuckle:
“We’re going to greet them with love anyway because our relatives that make bad decisions need to be welcomed into the community that is making the right ones,” said indigenous activist Eryn Wise of Seeding Sovereignty.
2018-11-19 Layoffs at Nestlé’s Aberfoyle water bottling plant, Guelph Mercury
Quebec. . .
New Brunswick . . .
P.E.I . . .
Nova Scotia . . .
Newfoundland & Labrador . . . (HISTORICAL)
1999, Gisborne Lake, Newfoundland . . . bulk export of water by tanker from remote Gisborne Lake in Newfoundland was almost a national issue. Newfoundland sets out what it saw as the Federal
Responsibility on the issue. 1999-10-02 Newfoundland agrees to ban water export, with Ottawa’s help, CBC
Yukon Territory . . .
Northwest Territories . . .
Nunavut . . .
LEIGH, BRENDA . . . (do)
LICENSES TO TAKE WATER . . . see ALLOCATION OF
LOCAL HAULERS . . . the Strathcona Resolution does not apply to them.
. . . see (Template) Strathcona Resolution, letter of support sent to . . .
. . . see
LOCATIONS, WATER BOTTLING PLANTS
MANUEL, ARTHUR . . . see FIRST NATIONS
MALFEASANCE (VANDER ZALM GOVERNMENT, Judge, 2016) . . . see CORRUPTION, WATER EXPORT
MAPS
Aquifers (Groundwater) in Regional District Nanaimo . . . booklet not yet available, booklet not yet available, p.____
Export Markets, bottled water from Canada . . . booklet not yet available, p.1
Salish Sea . . . see Cover of Booklet
MARKETING OF BOTTLED WATER . . . (BOTTLED WATER INDUSTRY)
Negating plastic bottles . . .
MEDIA REPORTS, chronological from most recent
Needs to be updated:
2018-11-24 Six Nations and Wellington Water Watchers join forces at Nestle protest, Guelph Today
2018-11-24 Six Nations and Wellington Water Watchers join forces at Nestle protest, Guelph Today
2018-08-28 Comox Valley Regional District defeats Merville water bottling operation application (Jolene Rudisuela)
2016-09-30 A Look into Nestle’s Controversial Water Bottling Business in Canada, from Vice.com
2016-06-17 Water export, Vander Zalm, Four reports, 1 CanLii Comment: B.C. government guilty of misfeasance in long-running water dispute; B.C. businessman waged a two-decade legal battle against his province. A judge finally sided with him; Province appeals damning water export case; Premier Bill Vander Zalm and the Water War Crimes
2011-03-30 Plans to export water, though unpopular, keep springing up
2005-11-11 Americans will be AGGRESSIVELY after our Water, Peter Lougheed, Former Premier of Alberta. In the Globe & Mail
2005-11-06 Lack of water hinders growth, Baltimore Sun
Good article from the U.S. offers insights still relevant in 2019
1999-10-02 Newfoundland agrees to ban water export, with Ottawa’s help, CBC
1991-03-22 Raining on Water Importer’s Parade: Drought: The latest series of storms may have doused chances that a Santa Barbara firm will get a large contract to import water from Fanny Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada.
MERIDIAN DAM, proposed for the South Saskatchewan River, defeated. See in 2019-01-24 Export of Water, for profit. Economic argument. “You cannot give up something that gives you income”. In a system that measures success by expansion – – every year “more”, always “growth” in sales. When the product is water? (Submission to Strathcona District Board)
MERVILLE
. . . see also in MEDIA REPORTS
. . . local opposition stopped a bottling plant from proceeding. The opposition was the genesis of “The Strathcona Resolution”.
. . . Merville resident BRUCE GIBBONS formed the Merville Water Watchers (see ORGANIZATIONS), and is currently (Jan 2019) doing presentations about “the Strathcona Resolution” to the members of AVICC. Bruce is a critical leader in the effort to protect groundwater from export. See at Strathcona Resolution
As explained by Director Brenda Leigh, in 2019-01-28 Taking of water for export. Director Brenda Leigh re “First in Time, First in Rights” policy
They tried to portray that my Resolution was all about a particular Zoning application in Merville when, in fact, I was alerted to the BC Water Sustainability Act’s “First in Time, First in Rights” policy through my learning about the Merville problem. My resolution is about not allowing ANY commercial water bottling and/or bulk water sales to tap into our groundwater. It was not about any specific application and, in fact, . . . told him that we at Strathcona do not have any water bottling applications received to date and that this Resolution is about the bigger issue of protection of Canadian water sources.
MORATORIUMS ON WATER EXPORT . . . see under LAWS & REGULATIONS, ENFORCEMENT, COURT RULINGS
MYTH, CANADIAN, OF LIMITLESS ABUNDANT WATER . . . see in article under ALLOCATION OF WATER
‘NATURAL GLACIAL WATERS”, Fanny Bay, Rosewall Creek . . . booklet not yet available, p.16 (BOTTLED WATER INDUSTRY, David’s input)
NEWSPAPER REPORTS . . . see MEDIA REPORTS
NESTLE
. . . see also PETITIONS (New Zealand, California, . . .
. . . see also under ALLOCATION OF WATER . . .
Also at LOCATIONS of bottled water plants.
Canadian headquarters in Aberfoyle, ON
2016-09-30 A Look into Nestle’s Controversial Water Bottling Business in Canada, from Vice.com
- Kawkawa Lake, District of Hope, BC
- Hillsburgh, Ontario
- Wellington, Ontario
2018-11-19 Layoffs at Nestlé’s Aberfoyle water bottling plant, Guelph Mercury
See also under “Ontario” under LEGISLATION WATER EXPORT, EXPERIENCE
2018-11-24 Six Nations and Wellington Water Watchers join forces at Nestle protest, Guelph Today
OKOTOKS, AB limits on population growth because of water . . . see in article under ALLOCATION OF WATER
ORGANIZATIONS (non-governmental) WE ARE CONNECTED WITH
OVER-ALLOCATION OF WATER . . . see article under ALLOCATION OF WATER
PETITIONS, STOP WATER EXPORT, paper copy, on-line petitions
California, Nestle . . . https://act.couragecampaign.org/sign/NestleDrought/
PLASTIC BOTTLES, SINGLE USE PLASTIC . . .
PLAYERS, THE LARGEST CORPORATIONS IN WATER EXPORT . . .
POWER IMBALANCE, Islanders : Money Makers . . .
PROCESS, IN AN ECONOMY THAT CONCENTRATES WEALTH . . .
PROHIBITIONS AGAINST WATER EXPORT . . . (PATTERN)
PRESTON MANNING . . . see “SINGLE ISSUE POLITICS”
REBUTTAL to “STORE WINTER RAIN WATER IN AQUIFERS, FOR SUMMERTIME USE (DROUGHT) . . .
RECOMMENDATIONS . . . see WHAT IS NEEDED
REFORM PARTY . . . see SINGLE ISSUE POLITICS
RENTS (a term used by Governments in relation to the taking of water) . . . see ALLOCATION OF WATER
RIGHTS TO WATER . . . see ALLOCATION OF WATER
ROSENBERG REPORTS . . . see under BOOKS & REPORTS
ROSEWALL CREEK . . . see LOCATIONS
ROYALTIES . . . see ALLOCATION OF WATER
SALISH SEA
Book “Views of the Salish Sea”, Howard Stewart . . .
Inland Sea . . .
Map . . . cover of the booklet
Organizations to protect . . . see under ORGANIZATIONS
Population of 8 million people plus industry . . .
Water flowing in . . .
SALTON SEA, California
SANDFORD, BOB
. . . see in article under ALLOCATION OF WATER
. . . see under BOOKS & REPORTS, Rosenberg
SHEEP RIVER, AB, related to Okotoks water cap . . . see in article under ALLOCATION OF WATER
“SINGLE ISSUE POLITICS” (Does water qualify?) . . .
SLOGANS . . .
SMEs (Small & Medium Enterprise), role of . . .
STRATEGIES what has worked in similar undertakings?
. . . click on the link
. . .
. . . see also, FIRST NATIONS, Haida Gwaii Lessonbook and Unsettling Canada
STRATHCONA RESOLUTION 2019-01-24 Last revision: Backgrounder, Feb 6/19
. . . At the link: Wording, Vote time-line, Support for the Resolution outside the Strathcona Regional District, Local newspaper coverage
SUBMISSION TO INTERNATIONAL TRADE CANADA STANDING COMMITTEE, water export, Dec 2018 . . . see under GOVERNMENT, FEDERAL
SUCCESSES . . .
SUPPLY, WHERE DOES THE WATER COME FROM, FOR EXPORT? . . .
SUPPORT THE STRATHCONA RESOLUTION
Letter to your local councils and RDN board to encourage them to support the Resolution,
(Template) Strathcona Resolution, letter of support sent to . . .
SURFACE WATER
. . . need a good on-line reference for Canada??
. . . see under BOOKS, Water Policy and Governance in Canada
SUSTAINABILITY . . .
TEMPLATES
Bookmark, Stop Water Export (like a business card, to hand out) . . .
Letter to your local councils and RDN board to encourage them to support the Resolution:
(Template) Strathcona Resolution, letter of support sent to . . .
TIMBER WEST . . . see under CORRUPTION
TRADE DEALS . . . see FREE TRADE DEALS
TREND LINES . . . see GROUND WATER (aquifer) levels
UBCM (Union of B.C. Municipalities) . . . see under GOVERNMENT, REGIONAL DISTRICTS
UN WATER FOR LIFE . . . see article under ALLOCATION OF WATER
“UNSETTLING CANADA, A NATIONAL WAKE-UP CALL” . . . see FIRST NATIONS (Aboriginal Title, Land and Water); also under BOOKS
VALUATION OF WATER
. . . see under BOOKS – – Water Policy & Governance in Canada.
. . . see ALLOCATION OF WATER
VANDER ZALM & WATER EXPORT (“Judge, 2016, says “misfeasance”) . . . see CORRUPTION, WATER EXPORT
VOLUNTEERS, WE NEED PEOPLE TO . . .
WATER (Freshwater, not salt water)
GROUND WATER (as distinct from “surface” water)
- Aquifer
- Saturated soil?
- Springs
- Underground rivers and streams
POTABLE WATER (safe to drink and to use for food preparation)
SURFACE WATER
- Rivers, streams, creeks
- Lakes, ponds, sloughs, reservoirs, dugouts
WATER BOTTLING PLANTS IN CANADA . . . see LOCATIONS
WATER LICENSES . . . see ALLOCATION OF WATER
WATER MARKET . . . see ALLOCATION OF WATER
WATERSHED: PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES . . . see WATERSHED ASSESSMENT
“WATERSHED ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF HYDROLOGIC AND GEOMORPHIC RISK IN THE FOREST SECTOR, PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES, DRAFT” (Feb 2019) related to investigation of community watersheds by the Forest Practices Board
. . . see under APLUC, Letter to Government Feb. 2019
WATER SUSTAINABILITY ACT, B.C.
. . . see under APLUC, Letter to Government, Feb 2019:
Water Sustainability Act is concerned only with flows, and not water quality. Is this correct? Are there other provincial acts that deal with water quality for ecological protection?
WELLINGTON (Ont.) WATER WATCHERS . . . see LOCATIONS
WHAT IS NEEDED . . .
WHISKEY CREEK . . . see LOCATIONS
WHOLISTIC APPROACH . . .
ZINE . . . see COMMUNICATIONS