B.C.’s groundwater is under threat.
Exports of bottled water from B.C. to the United States increased 1,460% between 2008 and 2018. This is an outrageous trend that has to end.
Municipal governments throughout B.C. and First Nations have just passed a resolution calling on the B.C. Premier John Horgan to stop issuing water licences to commercial water bottling operations in the province.
The resolution passed after Council of Canadians supporters like you and thousands of other B.C. residents flooded mayors’ and city councillors’ mailboxes, pushing for its adoption. Thank you to everyone who took action!
These licences allow water bottling corporations like Nestlé to take fresh groundwater, bottle it in plastic, and sell it for profit. Under the B.C. Water Sustainability Act companies pay a minimal fee of just $2.25 per million litres of water.
The Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) passed the resolution because they recognize that their local water sources are in jeopardy.
Development, pollution and over-extraction have had negative impacts on groundwater sources in B.C. for decades. Now, climate change will bring even worse conditions that will further threaten these precious water sources.
The plastic bottles clog our landfills and oceans with millions of tons of plastic waste.
We must protect and prioritize water resources for drinking, sanitation and local food production over industrial and commercial for-profit uses – and this starts with putting an end to water bottling for sale or export.
For decades, the Council of Canadians and people like you have been at the forefront of the battle to protect water as a human right and to stop corporations from exploiting shared resources like water.
Throughout B.C. and across Canada, we’re standing up to giant corporations like Nestlé. We are building momentum in local communities to protect water through the Blue Communities Project and fighting back water privatization efforts. Now, we are pleased to partner with the Canadian Freshwater Alliance and the Merville Water Guardians to protect groundwater in B.C. for future generations.
Help protect water for communities and ecosystems now and for the future. Write Premier Horgan today and call on the B.C. government to stop issuing licences for water bottling in B.C.
Thank you for taking action for water!
