Nestle seeks 10-year water-taking permit in Aberfoyle | The Council of Canadians

Nestle seeks 10-year water-taking permit in Aberfoyle | The Council of Canadians

The Council of Canadians is opposed to Nestle securing a ten-year water-taking permit in Aberfoyle, Ontario.

CTV reports, "Within the next few months, Nestle’s permit to take water from the Aberfoyle area will expire. The bottled water giant is seeking a 10-year renewal of that permit, which currently allows them to take about 2,500 litres of water per minute from the Grand River watershed."

The article adds, "Nestle filed its application to renew its water-taking permit earlier this week."
Nestle's current water taking permit in Aberfoyle is set to expire July 31, 2016.

The Council of Canadians has previously raised concerns about Nestle's water-taking business in Aberfoyle. In 2008, the Council of Canadians Guelph chapter and Wellington Water Watchers campaigned against Nestle and succeeded in at least reducing Nestle's requested permit (from 5 years to 2 years) and requiring the company to do extensive monitoring on the impact of their water takings. In 2013, the two groups, with legal representation from Ecojustice, successfully fought against an Ontario Ministry of Environment decision to remove conditions that made it mandatory for Nestle to reduce its water takings in Hillsburgh during droughts.

Vancouver-based Council of Canadians water campaigner Emma Lui has written, "Nestlé also withdraws 265 million litres every year in Hope. The BC government kicked off a firestorm of opposition when it released new water rates that would have Nestlé paying only $2.25 per million litres starting in January 2016 when the new Water Sustainability Act comes into force."

The Council of Canadians defends the United Nations-recognized human right to water and opposes the commodification of water, including the sale of bottled water.

Wellington Water Watchers is a key ally in this fight in Ontario. They are dedicated to the protection, restoration and conservation of drinking water in Guelph and Wellington County. To learn more about them, please click here.