The Council of Canadians raised concerns about the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan’s investments in private, for-profit Chilean water utilities at the OTPP’s annual meeting in Toronto yesterday.
Council of Canadians Board member (and retired teacher) Roy Brady asked, “Immediately following this AGM, will the OTPP seriously consider divesting from Chile’s water markets, given that water is a human right and a resource that must remain public; and that privatization, full or partial, will result in a loss of public accountability and the potential reduction of services to all Chileans? Please provide reasons for your response.”
Brady’s final statement was the following, “All our teaching lives we rightly defended public education as a necessary service. Any such privatization would have been detrimental: perhaps to our careers, definitely threatening equal access to quality educational opportunity, definitely regarding ability of families to pay, certainly for equal access to education. So, in that regard, to invest in and promote privatization of a vital public service, such as water, would be grossly unethical and hypocritical for teachers. Pull out of this investment.”
The moderator at the annual meeting tried to stop Brady from speaking. But, Brady reports, “At least three younger teachers towards the end of the speakers line reproached the moderator to let me speak as it is our right.”
Brady’s intervention brought applause from the teachers in attendance.
More soon.
