We celebrated Water Watch’s 10th anniversary with a “Blue Summit”.

The Blue Summit, held November 27-29, 2009, was a tremendous success. The three-day conference in Ottawa, organized by the Council of Canadians and CUPE, drew more than 300 participants from across the country as well as from around the world.

Community activist Stephen Ogden (Dump Site 41), Council of Canadians National Water Campaigner Meera Karunananthan (Blue Communities Project) and Shannon Biggs (Global Exchange, US) were eager to share stories to inspire and engage communities across Canada and around the globe. Listen to their stories here.

Panelists including Anil Naidoo of the Blue Planet Project and the Council of Canadians, Al-hassan Adam, coordinator of the Africa Water Network, CUPE researcher Shelly Gordon, and Council of Canadians director of organizing Carleen Pickard shared success stories about activists working around the world to make water accessible to all. This panel discussion can be heard here.

• AUDIO: Blue Summit: Seven reasons water will stay public. Presentation by Stephen Shrybman at the Blue Summit. Produced by CUPE for Rabble.ca, January 27, 2010
• AUDIO: Blue Summit: Water is a human right, Presentation by Maude Barlow at the Blue Summit. Produced by CUPE for Rabble.ca, January 5, 2010
• AUDIO: Listen to Maude Barlow and Paul Moist read the Blue Summit Declaration. Download PDF version here.
• PODCASTS: Download here.

• MEDIA: Governments Must Act to Protect Water: Blue Summit, Council of Canadians, November 29, 2009
• READ: Reality check! The state of Canada’s regulatory regimes - Opening statement by Ralph Pentland, Council of Canadians, Blue Summit, Ottawa, November 28, 2009
• PHOTOS: See Blue Summit event photos.

About Water Watch

Founded in 1999, Water Watch Committees are the first line of community defenders against the privatization, contamination and corporate takeover of local water resources.

Made up of CUPE members, Council of Canadians chapter activists, community members and environmental advocates, Water Watch members are fighting to keep water safe, clean and publicly controlled.

Use the links in the side bar to learn more about water and what you can do in your community. We hope to see you in Ottawa this November!

Organized by the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the Council of Canadians.

For more information, please contact us at inquiries@canadians.org, 613-233-4487, ext. 239 or 1-800-387-7177.
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