Blue Communities Project resources
Getting started
Download a letter of introduction from
Maude Barlow and Paul Moist (PDF34kb)
Download the Blue Communities
Project Guide (PDF 524kb)
Download the Water Watch
Committee
tipsheet (PDF 25kb)
Download the Water Watch Committee
Statement of Principles (PDF 19kb)
Read the 'People's Water Forum Declaration 2009' adopted on March 19, 2009
Read the Canadian Pugwash and Science for Peace 'Freshwater Declaration' (PDF 1mb)
Factsheets
Factsheet: Why Canada needs a National
Water Policy (PDF 151kb)
Factsheet: Canada’s shameful position
on the right to water (PDF 841kb)
Factsheet: Fighting Water P3s
(PDF 460kb)
Factsheet: Five Reasons to Ban
Bottled Water (PDF 1.45mb)
Factsheet: Tackling industry spin on
bottled water (PDF 1.69mb)
If you would like to order copies of
these
documents, please contact your regional
Council of Canadians office.
To read the new Making Waves quarterly e-newsletter, click here.
Other ways to promote Blue Communities:
In addition to Blue Communities work, there are other ways to take part in the campaign and raise awareness.
- Unbottle it!
While calling for municipal and school board bottled water bans, you can also ask local businesses, festivals, churches and other community groups to stop purchasing and selling bottled water in their spaces or at their events.
Click here for resources and information.
- Lobby your elected representatives.
The Council of Canadians and CUPE are calling on the federal government to support municipal water and wastewater services through a national water infrastructure fund of $31billion. Meet with your representative and share the Council of Canadians’ call for a national water policy that includes adequate funding for water infrastructure.
Click here to read more about the national water infrastructure fund and other ways we are calling on the federal government to protect water in Canada through a national water policy.
- Organize a film screening.
For Love of Water (FLOW) is an award-winning documentary that highlights the impacts of the global water crisis and features the work of activists like Council of Canadians Chairperson Maude Barlow. Your regional office has a few copies of the movie, which will be available to chapters on a first-come-first serve basis.
Click here to watch the FLOW trailer.
- Arrange a public water utility tour.
Many public water utilities encourage group tours. Build faith in your municipal water utility by organizing a group tour where members of your community can see firsthand what your water supply goes through before it gets to your tap.
- Make a splash in the media
Let media know about your water event. Set up meetings with local journalists and the editorial board of your local paper to let them know about local water issues.
Click here to download the 2009 World Water Day Media Kit
- Take the tap water pledge
Click here to show your support for public tap water by signing the tap water pledge.
- Join the gallery of tap water supporters.
Take a photo of yourself with a glass of tap water, or showing support for tap water in some other way. Send your photos to bluecommunities@canadians.org
You can also take photos of local politicians, and encourage members of your community to send in photos by setting up a photo booth. Get creative and show your support!
- Support a bottled water ban in your province.
Maude Barlow and CUPE Ontario President Sid Ryan have just completed a tour calling for a bottled water ban in the province of Ontario. If you live in Ontario you can sign the petition by clicking here.
- Keep us informed.
Be sure to keep us informed of your activities so we can highlight them on our website.
- Mark your calendars.
We will be the 10-year anniversary of the creation of Canada-wide Water Watch Coalition with a summit on November 28, 2009 that will bring together community activists from across the country to share ideas and strategies for promoting public water.
