This past December, La Coalition Eau Secours!, Syndicat canadien de la fonction publique (SCFP, or CUPE in Quebec), and the Council of Canadians announced the launch of the French-language Blue Communities Project guidebook in Quebec. The project in Quebec calls for: the recognition of water as a human right, publicly funded and operated water and wastewater systems, a ban on the sale of bottled water in public facilities, and a stop to the fluoridation of drinking water. In the media release, Council of Canadians Ontario-Quebec organizer Mark Calzavara says, “In the summer of 2010, after more than ten years of debate, the United Nations recognized water as a human right despite the efforts of the Canadian government to hinder its adoption. Municipalities are responsible for water quality, supply, treatment and conservation. The recognition of water as a human right is crucial in the fight to conserve water and ensure equitable access for all.” On February 7, Montreal Gazette reporter Michelle Lalonde wrote that, “I like the new Blue Communities project launched by the Council of Canadians, the Eau Secours! Coalition and the Canadian Union of Public Employees.” Lalonde asserts, “I don’t see why Montreal shouldn’t be the first Blue Community in Canada… the steps are almost achieved.”. To read the 20-page booklet – Guide du projet Communautés bleues du Québec – please go here. If you are in Montreal this coming March 22, World Water Day, please be sure to attend the Eau Secours fundraiser which will help support their work against fracking, fluoridation and pollution. More on that at http://eausecours.org/2011/03/spectacle-benefice-deau-secours-2/.