The issue of water taking…

The issue of water taking for the purpose of bottling and sale of water goes beyond simple sustainability. Water is essential to all life forms and must be considered an inalienable right for all. To allow commodification of water is to limit or deny that right for the purpose of financial profit. This is a morality issue more than an economic or environmental issue. It is morally wrong to limit or deny the right to water. I may be argued that municipal (public) water supply also comes at a cost - but it is available to all at a small fraction of the price of bottled water. Where municipal piped water is not available it can be moved in bulk transports.

Water bottling for resale is unnecessary. The industry promotes a false perception that publicly supplied water is of lower quality. In fact the lack of natural minerals in many bottled waters can lead to health issues and a false sense of security. The industry is the source of plastic pollution on a major scale, without penalty or redress. The industry diverts water from the natural cycle within a watershed. While it may be argued that these impacts are small at the present time, that is not a valid reason to continue the activity. Continuance and issue of new permits will only exacerbate the commodification of water and the pollution of the environment.

The current proposal for changes to the regulations clearly signals that the MECP intends to allow bottling to continue, albeit with some increased oversight and control by municipalities. This is not acceptable. The Ontario moratorium presently in place on issuance of permits for new or increased water takings for bottling must be made permanent and a process of non-renewal should be instituted to completely phase out the water bottling industry.