Skip to content

Barlow asks Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) to become a blue community

Twitter photo by @SueAdairFreeman


Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow spoke about water, workers rights, social justice and our blue communities campaign at the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) Ontario Region convention in Mississauga earlier today.


The outreach noted, “The 7th Triennial Convention of the Ontario Region of the Public Service Alliance of Canada will be held at the Hilton Mississauga/Meadowvale hotel [in] Mississauga, Ontario, from May 26th – 28th, 2017.”


PSAC Ontario has tweeted – “Thank you @MaudeBarlow for fighting to make water a human right for all people. The Canadian govt. needs to do more.”


Other tweets from this morning tell us:


  • “Every Generation has the right to clean water and clean air and what we do now matters” – Maude Barlow


  • Maude Barlow at #psacontario – more children die from water borne illnesses than from war.


  • @MaudeBarlow speaking on the importance of protecting public water around the world.


  • @PSACOntario @psacnat #maudebarlow do not underestimate the power of our Solidarity of water #bluecommunity


  • @PSACOntario @psacnat Maude Barlow water warrior asks us to become a blue community

Becoming a blue community means that a union, municipality, university, First Nation, religious grouping or social organization commits to:


  • recognizing water as a human right,


  • banning the sale of bottled water in their facilities,


  • promoting publicly financed, owned and operated water and wastewater services.

In November 2015, the 34,000 member Swiss public service workers union VPOD became the first union to become a blue community. In September 2016, the 200,000-member Swiss trade union UNIA also became a blue community.


As noted on their website, “The Public Service Alliance of Canada represents more than 180,000 workers in every province and territory in Canada and in locations around the world. Our members work for federal government departments and agencies, Crown Corporations, universities, casinos, community services agencies, Aboriginal communities, airports, and the security sector among others.”