Canada fights to keep its water

[YankeyMCC]

(snip)
One country has abundant fresh water, far more than it needs. Across the border there is simply not enough and it has yet to find a solution to the problem.

Canada has, by some estimates, up to 20% of the world's fresh water supplies and only 0.5% of the world's population.
(snip)

(snip)
The former US ambassador to Canada, Paul Cellucci, says it makes no sense for Canada to refuse to exploit one more of its natural resources.
(snip)

(snip)
The former premier of the province of Alberta, Peter Lougheed, predicts that the US will be aggressively coming after Canada's water in the next three to five years.

(snip)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5322980.stm

Foreshadowing of water wars?

[wagthedogwar]

1. Never!

Unfortunately, under the current free trade agreement, once you open up a resource sector for trade, you can't stop...ever. So no no no never never never ever ever under this 'free trade I'll let you sell some of your lumber if I can pocket 450million Bush gang of thieves" NO!NEVER!

MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday September 11, 2006
Full house expected as water activist warns of looming water crisis
Maude Barlow is to kick off the water in the city conference and promote protection of the commons

Victoria, BC. Maude Barlow, chairperson of the Council of Canadians, and co-author of Blue Gold: The Battle Against Corporate Theft of the World's Water will open the Water in the City Conference at a public speaking event on Saturday, September 16, 2006 at the Farquhar (also known as University Centre) Auditorium on the UVic campus in Victoria.

Barlow will speak to the looming water crisis and the threat transnational corporations pose by positioning themselves to profit from water scarcity by taking ownership of the resource. She states,water is a sacred component of the commons; it belongs to our common humanity, the earth and all living species. It is, therefore, a fundamental human right and a public good that must be protected by governments and communities, not a human need to be supplied by the market on the basis of wealth.

Vic Derman, Chair of the Water in the City Conference, says,he really wanted Maude Barlow's voice to be present at the Conference and are very pleased she is the opening event. We believe her message is an important part of the debate concerning water and how we use it in our communities.

Barlow spoke in Victoria last November to a capacity audience. They anticipate a huge turnout at Farquhar Auditorium, and encourage people to avoid disappointment by reserving their free tickets in advance by calling the Auditorium at [phone] says Judith Cullington, Water in the City Conference Coordinator.

The Farquhar Auditorium will open at 7:00pm and Maude Barlow will speak at 7:30pm, as well as sign books at the end of the event. Copies of Blue Gold and her latest book Too Close for Comfort will be available for sale.

For more information about Water in the City visit: www.waterinthecityvictoria.ca. The Conference runs September 17-20, 2006.

Contact:
Carleen Pickard 604.340.2455
Judith Cullington 250.360.7653


http://www.blueplanetproject.net/

[izzie]

2. I knew the water wars would come.

Colonial take over by any name is usually bad for the people used. One wonders why we have not learned from Europe. We do not seem to. Course who really thinks 5 percent of the world can take all the goods and people will love them.

[wellstone dem]

3. Canada, this Minnesotan is with you.!

[YankeyMCC]

4. Oh sure horde all that water in all those lakes

;)

I suspect it's a good think most American's think of Canadians as 'looking like us' or else we'd likely be in a war with them already.

[mccoyn]

5. When it comes down to it, Canada won't have much choice.

We established a continuous waterway from Lake Superior to the Gulf of Mexico 100 years ago when the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_river">Chicago river was reversed. We control the locks to divert water from the shared water source to the Midwest agriculture.

[amandabeech]

6. The Chicago River diversion is minuscule.

The reason for it is to divert Chicago's sewage away from its Lake Michigan drinking water intakes. The diversion does come under the bulk water sales provision of NAFTA.

The Chicago diversion does not send irrigation water to the Midwest except as a small stream going down the Illinois River to the Ohio, I believe, and then to the Mississippi. Most irrigated land in the Midwest is in the western section in or bordering the Great Plains in states such as the Dakotas, Nebraska and Kansas in the Missouri River basin of the Mississippi system. The Lake Michigan water and Chicago sewage in the diversion never makes it close to those locations. Illinois has very little irrigated farmland. What irrigation is needed comes from wells and the many rivers in the state, perhaps including a bit from the diversion.

Currently, the Illinois barge system from the Mississippi/Ohio to Chicago is seldom used. Many of the locks are small and not in good repair. There really isn't much of a continuous commercial waterway anymore.

I grew up in western lower Michigan about 90 northwest of Grand Rapids and just recently returned from two weeks in that beautiful part of the state. The real problem will be if Canada or the U.S. start bulk sales of water from the Great Lakes. Since only 1% of the water in the Lakes turns over every year, bulk diversion will be like a straw sucking the life out of those Lakes. I would expect very considerable resistance to any bulk diversion from all states and provinces bordering the Lakes.

As far as I'm concerned, folks who want the water need to come to it, and not vice versa. There are plenty of towns and cities around the Lakes that could use some new businesses. The problem is that they will make the users treat the bejesus out of the water before it is returned to the system. And they actually make businesses and residents pay taxes to support the water systems.

It is possible that people would start shooting over this issue.

[mccoyn]

7. There are plenty of towns and cities that could use some business.

"There are plenty of towns and cities around the Lakes that could use some new businesses."

Thats for sure. I grew up about 30 mi. NW of Grand Rapids in Muskegon. Now I live about 30 mi. SW of Detroit. There are definantly cities and towns in the area that could use some businesses.

My point was to say that there isn't much use for Canada try to defend the Great Lakes Basin, because they would have to do it in Chicago. You are right that even if the US decided to break the treaty with Canada they still have to get the Great Lakes States to agree, which is an equal long shot.

[amandabeech]

8. Muskegon was one of the towns that I was thinking about.

I grew up 40 miles north of Muskegon. Ludington and Manistee could use some business, too, and before the auto companies are all downsized, GR itself will need jobs.

I have been under the impression that the Chicago diversion, which is very small and was done perhaps 100 years ago, will not be the problem area. I believe that there will be a large pipeline from either Lake Michigan or Lake Superior, or both, taking water to the plains from north to south. If the Lake Michigan water is drawn into the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, it will be very polluted. If it mixes with Missouri or Mississiippi water, it will carry an enormous sedimentary load as well as pollution.

On the other hand, the whole plan may be so poorly thought out that it is merely a pipedream and would be extremely expensive to implement, at least I hope.

Of course, Dick DeVoss's solution is to dump the Single Business Tax and replace it either with nothing, or, I suppose, a regressive sales tax. Then he could move on to "Right to Work" legislation and kill all the unions. What a guy.