Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow was in Thunder Bay yesterday to present the city’s Mayor Keith Hobbs with a ‘blue community’ certificate.
Barlow made the presentation to the Mayor at the chapter’s annual general meeting.
On March 23 of this year, Council of Canadians Thunder Bay chapter activist Janice Horgos told us the great news that, “Following a presentation by our Thunder Bay Council of Canadians Blue Planet Committee, City Council adopted the three Blue Community resolutions at tonight’s Council meeting.”
Winning this designation took just over a year after the chapter’s initial presentation to the city.
On March 5, 2014, Barlow wrote Hobbs to say, “Following the presentation by the chapter on March 3, I am excited to provide this letter of support to their work in making Thunder Bay the next Blue Community… During the 2012 Great Lakes Need Great Friends public forum in Thunder Bay, I was incredibly moved by the active community who are standing up to protect the waters of the Great Lakes. Lake Superior is the cleanest of the lakes and we must do all that we can to protect it. Becoming a Blue Community is a simple but strong step towards protecting the Great Lakes as a lived commons to be shared, protected, carefully managed and enjoyed by all who live around them.”
Later that same month, the director of corporate affairs for Nestlé wrote in The Chronicle Journal newspaper about his corporation’s opposition to Thunder Bay becoming a blue community. Just days later, Horgos replied with a powerful letter to the editor stating, “If there is a ‘Trojan horse-like conspiracy’ as Néstle claims, it’s the private water industry’s massive public relations campaign to undermine faith in public water in an effort to divert attention from its corporate takeover. Located at the headwaters of the world’s largest body of freshwater, becoming a Blue Community will confirm Thunder Bay as a leader in the protection of this shared public resource and help make our community and planet more sustainable.”
Congratulations to the Thunder Bay chapter for successfully pushing back against Nestlé and winning a blue community designation for their city!
To learn more about the blue communities project, please click here.
Further reading
WIN! Thunder Bay adopts blue community resolution! (March 2015 blog)
Council to vote on Thunder Bay becoming a Blue Community March 23 (March 2015 blog by the Thunder Bay chapter)
Thunder Bay chapter responds to Nestle attack on blue communities project (March 2014 blog)
Nestlé opposes Thunder Bay becoming a blue community (March 2014 blog)
Thunder Bay chapter seeks blue community designation for their city (March 2014 blog)
Photo: Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow presents blue community certificate to Thunder Bay Mayor Keith Hobbs and city councillor Andrew Foulds. Twitter photo by Mariam Ketonen.
