VIDEOS: Hundreds Support Gordon Motion, Outside and In City Hall

It was standing room only at city council last night as council debated a motion by Ward 2 Councillor James Gordon asking his fellow councillors on taking a stand against Nestle and their continued water taking at their Aberfoyle bottling plant. Now city council is often compared to a carnival, but there was no denying the carnival atmosphere prior to the meeting as hundreds of people gathered in front of City Hall to sing, speak and make noise, all to push council to support Gordon and his motion.

GUELPH POLITICAST #45 - Wellington Water Watchers

It was a month ago today, that the City of Guelph took the water use level down to Level 2 Red. Indeed emphasis of water use during the Summer of 2016 is "less is more," as an unusually dry winter has lead into an unusually dry spring and summer. Given the preciousness of water, and the unusual scarcity of it this year, would it not be advisable to think about just how we spend those resources?

This Week in Press Releases - February 8-12, 2016

Every week, the City of Guelph and other groups send out notices to announce new events, imperatives, and information that you need to know. Here is this week in press releases.

Local Activists/Politicos Pushing for Better Price for Water

Earlier this month, Ontario's interim Environmental Commissioner issued a startling report in the wake of a year full of stories of worldwide drought conditions, and concluded that the province's water resources are being taken for nothing or close to nothing by industry and businesses across Ontario. In Guelph, always at the forefront of environmental issues, key activists and politicians are taking this a cue to push further for the protection of local fresh water.

James Gordon (Ward 2) - Candidates Questionnaire

 

If you haven't heard of James Gordon then welcome to Guelph. After two turns at running in provincial politics, Gordon is now running for city council in Ward 2. Amongst his accolades, Gordon was the first President of the Guelph Civic League, the first Artistic Director of the Hillside Festival, a co-founder of the Wellington Water Watchers, the Founding Chair of the Family Mental Health Network, and winner of Mayor’s Award in 2008 for community service. Above and beyond that, he's well-known for his contributions to the arts and his career as a singer-songwriter. And now, he's the first respondent of Guelph Politico's 2014 Municipal Election candidate questionnaire.

This Time, David Won

That thud you heard last week was Nestlé Waters giving up its appeal to a decision made last fall by the Ministry of the Environment to grant them permission to take water from a Hillsburgh well with the caveat that their intake be reduced in times of drought. Nestlé's surrender is being seen as a victory by many of the local environmental groups, a capitulation by the industry that the unlimited taking of water from our local fresh water sources is going to be tougher row to hoe from this point on. But will that be the case?

When Controversy's Tapped

When the city cancelled a screening of a documentary called Tapped, seemingly at the behest of Nestle, the mob reaction was understandably upset. In the world of film publicity there's no such thing as bad press and now a movie that sits nestled between The Nature of Existence and Gasland on Netflix is getting the kind of attention that Michael Moore's invested years of self-promotion to get.

The screen of Tapped was to be part of Water Conservation Documentary Nights, a perfectly benign (and almost dull) sounding film series co-sponsored by Wellington Water Watchers and the City of Guelph's Water Services. Tapped was supposed to be the last film in the series screened on September 17, cancelled seven days before it was to be seen after John Challinor, director of corporate affairs at the Aberfoyle-based Nestle Waters Canada, wrote Mayor Karen Farbridge a letter outlining his dismay and disappointment that the city would co-present a film, which, as it turns out, does not cast his company in a good light.

Get in to The River This Weekend

This weekend is the 32nd annual Speed River Clean-Up organized by the Guelph branch of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG). Brought to you by Wellington Water Watchers, Trout Unlimited and GUFF (Guelph Urban Forest Friends), the Clean-Up, as always, aims to educate people about the importance of Guelph’s waterways, get them involved and in the river to literally take out the trash.

Like in years gone by, everyone is to meet up at the gazebo in Royal City Park (Gordon Street) by 11 am. Bring your gloves, sun gear, water and a pair of either old shoes, boots or hip waders. Then sign-in, join a group and start cleaning up the river. Afterward at around 12:30, everyone’s invited back to McCrae House for some eats and some entertainment. The theme is pot luck, so volunteers are being asked to bring a dish to share, and for each dish contributed, you will be entered in a draw to win two tickets to the Speed River Fundraising Dinner at Borealis Grille, a $120 value. Additionally, volunteers are being asked to bring their own plates and utensils to cut down on waste.

If you’re looking to get even more involved, OPIRG is looking for volunteers to take on specific jobs at the Clean Up. Among the list of jobs needed to be filled are crew leaders, photographers, set-up and take-down volunteers, and people to help out at the potluck. For more information, get in touch with OPIRG at 519-824-2091 or at opirg@uoguelph.ca

To get you in the mood, here are some picture slideshows of two Clean-Ups from the past, 2008 and 2010.

Why Wellington Water Watchers Won't [W]Appeal

After a disappointing permit renewal that will see Nestle Waters draw precious H20 from the aquifer in Aberfoyle for another five years, many observers expected the Wellington Water Watchers, at least, to keep up the fight. But a short deadline on the appeal, as it turns out, is only one of the reasons why the WWW opted out of further action.

Here's the WWW press release to explain why.

Wellington Water Watchers has decided not to appeal the April 30 decision by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment to grant a five-year extension to the water-taking permit in Aberfoyle issued to Nestlé Waters Canada. “The Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR) system is flawed, and we have decided there is no point in participating in a process that appears to be a window-dressing exercise,” explains Mike Nagy, Wellington Water Watchers’ Board member.

WWWs will continue to oppose the wasteful and unsustainable practices of the plastic bottled water industry while supporting and promoting municipal drinking water services. The WWWs also argues that Ontario’s EBR process overwhelmingly favours ‘the proponent’ – in this case, Nestlé – and needs overhauling and renewal itself. “Proper procedures were not followed in this permit review,” Nagy explains, “and we were not treated fairly as stakeholders in the process. It is hard to believe in what is supposed to be an objective and balanced process, that Nestlé was put in charge of arranging technical meetings and inviting the participants. The Wellington Water Watchers were marginalized as a result.”

One particularly glaring oversight was Nestlé’s exclusion of Wellington Water Watchers from a key technical meeting on March 24. “The MOE should have been leading these meetings and ensuring that all stakeholders were invited and able to attend,” Nagy adds. “It’s obvious to us that ‘the proponent’ has a vested interest in keeping specific parties – particularly those seeking restrictions – from participating.”

Wellington Water Watchers had expected the renewed permit to be no longer than two years, with annual water volume reductions, and consideration for the fact that the wider community did not favour renewal. The group continues to have significant concerns that the MOE has not properly considered many key unresolved issues, including the lack of cold water upwelling in Mill Creek and potential for introduction of contaminants into the aquifer as a result of the pumping.

“Further, volume reduction should have been part of this new agreement, as Ontario is currently reviewing all water budgets and will be looking for conservation from all sectors in the near future,” says WWW Board member André Hueniken. “The province needs to live up to its commitment to uphold the precautionary principle, not just in word, but in deed, especially when making decisions that will affect future generations.”

“We’re not going away,” he adds. “We’ll continue to do everything we can to protect our watershed, and to properly regulate this wasteful, unnecessary industry.”

Nestle Gets Five More Years

Much to the dismay and disappointment of environmentalists and anti-corporatists in the Royal City, the Ministry of the Environment approved a five-year renewal of the Nestle’s water taking permit at its Aberfoyle bottling plant. The good news is that the approval wasn’t for the 10 year stretch that Nestle applied for, but the bad news is that Nestle will be permitted to continue taking the allotted 3.6 million litres per day. Reaction was swift, but local advocates only have a limited time to make their appeal, primary among them the Wellington Water Watchers.

With a limited window to appeal, 15 days from when the decision was announced last Friday before, the Watchers quickly sprang into action forming a subcommittee to meet this past Wednesday for a strategy session about the matter "The Wellington Water Watchers had made submissions to the Ministry of Environment and it looks to us that a great extent these submissions were almost ignored by the Ministry of Environment in the decision that they made," said Andre Hueniken, a Board Member of the Water Watchers.

The MOE for its part, seems to think that they have been conciliatory to concerns about the aquifer, limiting the permit to five years over ten “to allow a fulsome and ongoing review of monitoring data in a shorter time frame,” according to MOE regional director Carl Slater in the Wellington Advertiser. “It also allows for consideration of the water taking to be re-evaluated depending upon the local conditions and development in the area.”

John Challinor, the Director of Corporate Affairs for Nestle Canada, says that his company has no interest in draining the well, as it were. “When you invest millions of dollars in your plant like we do, you don't want your water source to be impacted,” he said to CTV. “You don't want it to go dry, you don't want to see a reduction, you don't want to harm your neighbours.”

This issue’s unlikely to go away, so stayed for more developments on the water front. (Get it! Oh, never mind.)

Just When You Thought It was Safe to Go Back for a Glass of Water...

It almost slipped by them, but the Wellington Water Watchers have mobilized quickly in response to Nestle's application the Ministry of the Environment for a 10-year extension on their permit to take water from the Grand River watershed in Aberfoyle. The new contract, if approved, would allow Nestle to continue to take 3.6 million litres per day for the next decade.

“This is far too long and way too much,” states Mike Nagy, former Green Party candidate and board member for WWW in a press release. “In fact, there are many aspects of this proposed Nestlé-Ministry of Environment agreement that should raise red flags for all Guelph-area citizens who care about water issues.”

And care they do. As soon as WWW changed the name of their Facebook group to “Oppose Nestle Waters Canada's ‘Permit to take Water’ Renewal Bid!” a tidal of wave of member reaction was posted to the site. The WWW will be holding a Community Information Session this Friday at ebar at 7 pm. Then, on Saturday, there will be a Community March to demonstrate against Nestle beginning in St. George's Square at noon and ending at around 3 pm outside the Nestle plant in Aberfoyle.

Emotions concerning Guelph’s water and the private corporations that want access to it have always been high. In 2007, Wellington Water Watchers was formed to combat Nestle’s previous contract renewal for five years at 3.6 million litres per day. After nearly a year of back and forth, the Ministry of the Environment followed direction from Guelph City Council and renewed the contract for only two years, but the litre per diem mark remained at 3.6 million.

“At the very most, the maximum volume of water allowed in any new Nestlé agreement should be no more than the maximum taken in 2010, which was 1.6 million litres per day,” Nagy says. “And then it should be reduced by at least 1.56 percent per year after that, consistent with Ontario’s initiatives on sustainable water use.”

The period for public comment about the renewal closes tomorrow, and a decision could be made about the renewal as early as March 5th. To learn more about WWW’s objections to the permit and find out how you can help their cause, go to http://www.wellingtonwaterwatchers.ca/

Celebrate Water with WWW and Blue W

I got this sent to me by no less than three-time Guelph Green Party nominee Mike Nagy. It's a community event notice for World Water Day a week from Monday.

PRESS RELEASE
Wellington Water Watchers Celebrate World Water Day event
Monday March 22, 2010
7:00 - 10:00 pm
E.L. Fox Auditorium (J.F. Ross) 21 Meyer Dr. Guelph

International World Water Day is on Monday March 22. Come celebrate this day with the knock-your-socks-off show that Wellington Water Watchers has planned. This first ever annual event will be held at the E.L. Fox Auditorium (J.F.Ross high school). We will be celebrating what our youth have to say about our precious water. High school students throughout our county and city are creating submissions through our Message in the Bottle program. Their submissions - art pieces, performance pieces, science projects, etc. - will be displayed and presented at the celebration. All are designed to express how valuable our water is to us and why we need to protect and conserve this lifeline of ours.

We have enlisted the help of Derek Forgie as our emcee. If you have never seen him in action, check out this link



We also have the help of Evalyn Parry who will be performing a few of her spoken word pieces (), and many of you will know the local band Dancehall Free for All who will ensure that the evening is a supercharged-goodtimes dance party.

We will be showing the yet unreleased film called Tapped in the second part of the evening. From the producers of Who Killed the Electric Car, this timely documentary is a behind-the-scenes look into the unregulated and unseen world of an industry that aims to privatize and sell back the one resource that ought never to become a commodity: our water.

All of this... plus we will be launching our next big project! Wellington Water Watchers is very excited to pilot the Blue W project here to Guelph and Wellington County. What is the Blue W project you ask? Come to our Water Day Celebration to hear more about it - but here is a little hint!

The Blue W is a not-for-profit program dedicated to promoting municipal tap water as a healthy and waste-conscious alternative to bottled drinks. Using our website and smart phone application, we provide details on where to find clean, free sources to refill your reusable bottle. Look for the Blue W decal at the entrance of your favourite local cafes and restaurants.

We have a huge auditorium to fill and for this reason we are making tickets very accessible. For just $5 you can enjoy an incredibly entertaining evening celebrating our water. Tickets are available at The Bookshelf, at 10 Carden on Mondays and Wednesdays, and at the door. Students who have created a submission get in for free. The show runs from 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm. Doors will open at 6:00 pm to showcase youth submissions.

Looking forward to seeing all of you on Monday March 22 to Celebrate World Water Day!

For further information please e-mail wellingtonwaterwatchers[at]gmail.com, or go to their website

Who's Cooler Now?

The first weekend of the campaign coincided with a little Guelph tradition called the Hillside Festival. The cool as ice music and community festival at Guelph Lake has been a sellout the last four years, but with Friday's dropping of the writ, organizers were concerned about a different kind of selling out: the politicization of the festival.

Green candidate Mike Nagy was at the Festival in his capacity as a member of the Wellington Water Watchers, supplying concert goers with tap water and educating the public on the need to protect our water resources. It's the second year in a row that WWW has had a presence at Hillside (of course this is their only second year of existence too) and Nagy is one of their most high profile members.

Also at the festival was NDP candidate Tom King, who participated in Sunday's Aboriginal circle and hosted special guest Ed Broadbent, a popular former Federal NDP leader and Member of Parliament. King, by far, is winning the high profile endorsement derby; on his website, he's got Stephen Lewis, Shirley Douglas and Robert Munsch. But perhaps most importantly, he secured the endorsement of Corner Gas' Officer Davis, Lorne Cardinal, who says:

"Tom King is one of those exciting people who makes me hopeful for Canadian politics again."

Powerful words from the man formally known as "The Hawk." (Corner Gas joke, sorry.)








And let us not forget King's ace in the hole: Jack Layton. I was once keeping a running tab of how often he's been in town, but now I'm afraid to say, I've given up. He's back again Tuesday for the official opening of King's campaign office.