In solidarity with the all eyes on Nestle campaign to ensure access to water
KAIROS stands in solidarity with the Wellington Water Watchers who are fighting to protect water as a human right with the All Eyes on Nestle Campaign. We encourage you to write a letter to the Minister of the Environment or to the Premier’s office to show your support for this movement.
Water is for Life, Not Profit: Wellington Water Watcher believes that water is for life, not profit and never should be under corporate control. There are additional reasons for Ontario to end the policy of issuing permits to take water for bottling including:
- Nestlé continues to extract water as the climate crisis worsens
- Nestlé takes water without the free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous peoples
- Nestlé creates plastic pollution
- Drinking bottled water may add up to 100,000 plastic particles per year to a person’s annual intake
All Eyes on Nestlé – Events to Raise Public Awareness of Need to Say No To Nestlé: Wellington Water Watchers has organized a series of meetings in four communities to bring attention to Nestlé disturbing corporate behavior and the need for Ontario to deny Nestlé permits to take water. Representatives of groups affected by Nestlé water taking in Brazil, France and the US will speak to their experience protecting water in their communities from Nestlé water extraction. (See dates and locations below).
Take Action: Wellington Water Watchers asks allies to demand that the Ontario government, as a minimum
- Extend the moratorium on all new applications to take water for bottling; and
- Put a hold on all applications to renew permits until a full Environmental Assessment is conducted of permits to take water for bottling.
Meeting dates and locations
- Monday Nov 11th, Waterloo, The Atrium, Renison University College, 240 Westmount Rd. N. 7-9pm
- Tuesday Nov 12th, Toronto, Wilson Hall Lounge, 2nd Floor Wilson Hall at New College, 40 Willcocks St. Toronto, 7-9pm
- Wednesday Nov. 13th, Hamilton, St. Joseph’s Church Hall, 280 Herkimer St, 7-9pm
- Thursday, Nov 14th, Guelph, Trinity United Church, 400 Stevenson St. N. 7-9pm
The scope of the current review process used by Ministry of Environment is too narrow: The method the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks uses to review permits to take water for bottling is very narrow and does not adequately consider these criteria. The Ontario government will soon consider whether to renew the permits to take water for Nestlé Waters Canada. The Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks should designate for an Environmental Assessment all applications for permits to take water for bottling.
Nestlé cannot be trusted with access and control over water: Importantly the review process also does not consider Nestlé’s corporate behaviour in other countries. Nestlé’ actively lobbies governments in other jurisdictions to reduce levels of regulation – even after they secure permits. Nestlé uses a variety of aggressive tactics in response to community groups who oppose their water taking – including litigation, out-bidding local municipalities for land and even hiring a security company to infiltrate a Swiss NGO critical of Nestlé.
To learn more about water bottling permits in Ontario view this PDF-
Amelia Berot-Burns, the Ecological Justice Program Coordinator at KAIROS has written a letter to the Minister of the Environment which can be used as a template for your own letter.
