The People vs. Nestle…. War on Water Begins
Message from Environmentalists? "Water for life, not for profit"
Permits expired on July 31st, but Nestle has been allowed to keep extracting water from Aberfoyle, Ontario, even amidst a severe drought.
The Ministry of the Environment is supposed to post renewal applications for 30 days for public comment, but local environmentalist group Wellington Water Watchers say they failed to do so. They are also saying that the Ministry gave the company an automatic extension without consulting the community.
According to three (expired) permits, Nestle Canada takes up to 8.3 million litres per day for bottling, while another division of Nestle holds an additional 6 permits for 12 million litres a day. That’s 20.3 million litres per day — or 40.6 million bottles of water.
And that’s just a drop in the bucket. Factor in other bottled water companies, golf courses, mining companies and other municipalities, and we’re taking a total of 1.4 TRILLION LITRES of Ontario’s surface and groundwater EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
Despite outcry from our former environmental commissioner Ellen Schwarzel, the Liberals have failed to act.
