Ontario Stands Up: Province May Kick Out Nestle Waters Using Climate Change As Justification
Anyone who has been following the ongoing water wars pitting companies like Nestlé against…well, against everyone, really, surely remembers the recent skirmish in Guelph, Ontario Canada.
That’s where residents’ efforts to limit or ban Nestlé’s water division from depleting the area’s water were rebuffed by officials who never met a business they didn’t like–even if it steals a non-renewable resource away from its own residents for mere pennies on the dollar.
Nestlé pays $3.71 CAD for a million liters of water; go to any store and buy a 24-pack of 500 ml bottles of Nestlé water, it will cost nearly what they paid for that million liters.
That is beyond absurd; in times of drought and water shortages worldwide, it is criminal.
Aside from the odiousness of this multinational corporation profiting from millions of gallons of water–which, let us remember, is vital to the very functions of life itself, not a luxury item to be sold at a premium only to those who can afford it–concerns over how a warming world with massive regions of drought-stricken land can possibly afford to practically give away their only sources of water.
But now the provincial authority in Ontario is taking a hard look at its current policies. They are even considering a total ban on any new bottled water operations as they go through the process of setting up a new process and procedures through which future licensing may or may not be granted.
The reasons behind the proposed rule change are perhaps as disturbing as they are indicative of what’s coming down the road: Canadian Press reports that the government is concerned about a future with ongoing serious drought, and they will need to assess any potential environmental impact of extraction, as well as strongly hinting that they will reduce the amount in any case.
For its part, Nestlé–which not incidentally has a PR department to rival that of Monsanto issued the following statement:
“We are fully supportive and share the Ontario Government’s commitment to protecting water resources,” said Debbie Moore, President of Nestlé Waters Canada. “Through investment in an industry-leading monitoring program over the last 15 years in Aberfoyle and Erin, we have been sharing information with the government and local community. We will continue to offer this science and transparent data to all stakeholders that share our commitment to water sustainability and conservation throughout this process.”
Well, gosh, thanks. How about you just leave the water in the ground for the current and future residents of the area instead?
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http://motherboard.vice.com/read/ontario-might-temporarily-ban-nestle-from-taking-water-because-of-climate-change