The Georgia Straight recently published an on-line op-ed by Garry John and Maude Barlow on the 2010 Olympics.
They write, in part, that, “We are especially concerned that the 2010 Olympics are providing a prime ‘greenwashing’ opportunity for corporations involved in the most egregious threats to the survival of humanity and the Earth through their active participation in the privatization and commodification of water and massive environmental degradation exemplified by the exploitation of the tar sands.”
They then highlight the following corporate sponsors of the 2010 Olympic Games:
COCA-COLA
“A ‘worldwide Olympic partner’, Coca-Cola (also a sponsor of the torch relay), is notorious for depleting groundwater in areas of India and Latin America with scarce water resources. Furthermore, Coca-Cola is a leading promoter of water commodification, as one of the largest producers of bottled water in the world.”
EPCOR
“EPCOR, an ‘official supplier’ for the Games, has been working to privatize the water utilities of municipalities across the country, including in B.C. EPCOR tried to bid on the privatization of wastewater treatment in Whistler in 2006. The bid was successfully overturned as a result of efforts by the Council of Canadians and community members in Whistler.”
GENERAL ELECTRIC
“General Electric, another ‘worldwide Olympic partner’, is a major financier of private power projects in B.C., including the enormous Bute Inlet proposal, with its partner Plutonic Power. The Council of Canadians has taken a stand against private power projects in British Columbia through the IPP model.”
THE ROYAL BANK AND PETRO-CANADA
“The Royal Bank of Canada and Petro-Canada, both ‘national partners’ for the 2010 Games, are directly involved in the Alberta tar sands, one of the most environmentally destructive projects in the world. The Royal Bank is a major financier of tar-sands projects and is also a sponsor of the torch relay. Ironically, its ad campaigns for the relay ask individuals to make a ‘green pledge’ by volunteering to carry the torch.”
DOW CHEMICAL
“Dow Chemical is also an Olympic sponsor. Currently Dow is suing the government of Canada for $2 million, through NAFTA’s Chapter 11 investor-state dispute process, as part of a challenge to a Quebec ban on the use of lawn pesticides. Dow claims that the ban has amounted to an unfair expropriation of Dow’s Canadian pesticide business. The Council of Canadians has long campaigned against NAFTA and Chapter 11’s harmful impact on public regulation.”
Their full op-ed is at http://www.straight.com/article-262458/garry-john-and-maude-barlow-2010-olympics-will-leave-legacy-social-environmental-destruction.
The Council of Canadians statement on the 2010 Olympics, as well as campaign blogs on this issue, can be found at http://canadians.org/olympics/statement.html.
