Nestle executive John Challinor says that "the Canadian bottled water industry uses just .02 per cent of permitted water in Canada..."
And yet thousands of Canadians are concerned about the impact of Nestle water bottling plants in their communities. For instance, a citizen's coalition in Guelph, Ontario is concerned that Nestle's taking of 3.6 million litres of water per day is causing a reversal of the groundwater flow to a local creek. Given that it takes three to five litres of water to produce every one-litre bottle, and given that Canada is a net exporter of bottled water, there is no way around the fact that the bottled water industry is wasteful and harmful.
Mr. Challinor then suggests "making all residential, commercial and industrial water takers pay their fair share of the real cost of water consumption..."
Given that most provinces charge water companies like Nestle next to nothing to extract water from springs and aquifers for their bottled water products, Mr. Challinor's suggestion could have interesting implications for Nestle's bottom line. But you can't drink money, so charging Nestle for their water takings really isn't the answer.
Mr. Challinor concludes that, "the bottled water industry is not anti-tap."
And yet in order to persuade peopled to spend 200 - 3000 times what they spend on tap water, bottled water companies advertise their product as a safer and healthier alternative. This despite the fact that bottled water is regulated as a food product under the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and at best is tested every three years. Regulation of tap water is far more stringent. In fact, municipal tap water is tested continuously during and after treatment.
In his letter, Mr. Challinor chose not to comment on Ms. Barlow's view that water should be recognized as a human right. Perhaps that's not surprising given he's in the business of selling it for a profit.
Brent Patterson is the Director of Campaigns and Communications for the Council of Canadians
