Dear Editor,
It is encouraging to see the increased interest in the debate about commercial water taking. Unfortunately, common sense is missing from the debate.
Our politicians are focusing on the money, as is the water bottling industry. Everyone seems to think paying a bit more will solve the problem or at least make the issue go away. We have an election coming in 2018 and it would be great if there were no embarrassing issues to threaten the incumbent party’s hold on power.
For good measure, the politicians and water bottling industry are adding a bit of science. Hoping science will bring credibility to their discussion or else use as a shield to justify not taking a position on the subject.
In the end, it is all smoke and mirrors intended to distract the public and avoid looking at the long term. Our society has become too fixated on the here and now to the detriment of future planning.
If common sense were to prevail, we would realize that if you take something away it is gone. Why are gravel pits called pits? Why are mines called mines and why does the water bottling industry avoid the term water mining? We would realize that water mining and thriving urban communities do not coexist next to each other. Eventually someone runs out of water.
Everyone is using the word sustainable but not in the right context. Sustainable means not using more than can be replaced. We are pumping water out of the ground faster than nature can replenish it through rainfall and its migration down into the water table. Since 1997, we have experienced seven droughts. In 1999, some groundwater levels in the Grand River basin were at their lowest in 130 years. We are losing water.
Its time our politicians and the water bottling industry were honest with us and told us the truth instead of profiting at our expense. We have another Walkerton in the making only this time it will not be about water quality rather water quantity.
It is time we took responsibility for our action or inaction to hold our politicians and water bottling industry accountable for the mess they have made of our long-term water supply.
Believe that together we can all make a difference and bring hope for the future. Be part of the decision and sign the petition to protect Ontario’s water. It is not for sale or removal from nearby communities.
Ian MacRae