Victory in the Bow River, watching the SPP and stopping military recruitment in schools
The Council of Canadians is gearing up for a busy winter, after wrapping up our 22nd annual general meeting in beautiful Kelowna, BC last month. Our AGM brought together activists from more than 50 Council chapters, along with other members and supporters from across the country.
The Council packed the Coast Capri Hotel to discuss ways to take back what is ours – our democratic right to participate in discussions about Canada’s future within North America. With guest speakers and activists from Mexico, Canada and the U.S., we developed ways to mobilize against the SPP and promote a more sustainable and just vision for North America. We also joined the local Kelowna peace group to protest against the war in Afghanistan, and demand that the Canadian government bring the troops home now. We couldn’t have done any of this without the hard work of our wonderful Kelowna chapter.
Next year’s AGM will be in Edmonton, Alberta from October 31 to November 2. Mark your calendars now – we hope to see you there.
Meanwhile, here’s what’s new at the Council of Canadians:
Victory! Bow River not up for sale – for now
 The Council of Canadians is thrilled to hear that the Alberta government has taken steps to preserve the water in the Bow River – at least for the immediate future.
In last month’s e-news, we told you about an application that the Eastern Irrigation District (EID) made to Alberta Environment to amend their current water licence to allow them to extract water from the Bow River for commercial purposes.
The EID already holds the largest water licence in the region, and the amendment would have given them power to re-allocate and sell water for other uses, including municipal, non-irrigational and non-agricultural activities. The Council of Canadians was concerned that the amendment would set a dangerous precedent – triggering a string of similar applications from other agri-business consortiums and effectively putting most of Alberta’s water up for sale.
Within moments of hearing about the EID’s request, the Council of Canadians took action. Council members from the area surrounding the Bow River (and therefore deemed “directly affected” by the Alberta government) sent in letters of protest. The Council demanded that private industry not be given that much power over a public resource. We stressed the need for the monitoring and regulation of water to be kept in public hands.
It seems that our message got through to the Alberta government. Last month, Alberta Environment announced that they were deferring a decision on the EID application.
“Although this isn’t the first irrigation district to request an amendment to its licence, the state of Alberta’s water resources has shifted significantly,” said Environment Minister Rob Renner. “With most of the South Saskatchewan River Basin closed to new licence applications, concerns have been raised about the Alberta government maintaining its authority to oversee water resources. We need to ensure water is allocated in a fair manner with opportunity for all users to have access to water resources.”
According to Susan Howatt, the Council’s national water campaigner, “we have won this small battle, but the larger war is ahead of us and we need all the help we can get to make Alberta choose their environment over short term economic gain.”
For more information on what you can do to help protect water in Alberta and across Canada, visit www.canadians.org/water.
New resource: SPP Watch
 Are you looking for more information about how the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America is affecting people’s day-to-day lives? The SPP has an impact on the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the civil liberties and human rights we enjoy. But because the SPP continues to be enacted behind closed doors, away from the scrutiny of Parliament or the public, citizens have received little information about its implications for Canadians.
That’s why the Council of Canadians has just launched SPP Watch, a new feature of our Integrate This! website. Visit the site today, and sign up to receive email updates relating to the SPP and its impact on workers, water, energy, civil liberties, the military and public safety. We’ll also keep a close eye on the North American Competitiveness Council, the all-corporate advisory board that has been directing the work of the SPP, also – you guessed it – in secret, without input from citizens.
Visit Integrate This! today to read Council researcher Stuart Trew’s latest analysis of the Harper government’s position on the death penalty, new port security measures that threaten citizens’ privacy, and the astounding cost of the RCMP operations in Montebello in August. What does this all have to do with the SPP? Visit www.IntegrateThis.ca today to find out.
Fact sheet: In the Shadow of the Oil Sands
 Alberta’s Industrial Heartland is located northeast of Edmonton, AB. Over 300 square kilometres in size, it takes in four municipalities: Strathcona Country, Sturgeon County, Lamont County, and the City of Fort Saskatchewan. Many chemical, petrochemical, petroleum, and associated industries are located in the AIH and there are currently 12 bitumen upgrader projects proposed or approved for this region.
The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America, which includes a plan for a “fivefold expansion” of the tar sands, is contributing to a rapid and uncontrolled expansion in the area.
The people who live and work in and around the Alberta Industrial Heartland are calling for stricter monitoring of industry activity, thorough environmental impact assessments, and the development of enforceable laws with clear pollution restrictions.
To learn more about the impact of the tar sands on surrounding communities, download our new fact sheet on the Industrial Heartland.
Blue October battles corporate theft of water
Activists in 36 countries around the world spent the month of October fighting for the right to water. People across the globe celebrated Blue October by organizing a variety of events to raise the profile of water as a public good. In Ghana, activists organized community meetings to fight water tariff increases. In Norway, Members of Parliament carried 15 litres of water on their heads, to demonstrate the appalling lack of access to water in the global south. In Colombia, civil society groups collected signatures calling for a national referendum that could enshrine the right to water in the country’s constitution.
The Council of Canadians’ Blue Planet Project was one of the key organizers of this international month of action. To learn more, and find out how you can get involved next year, visit www.blueoctobercampaign.org or www.blueplanetproject.net.
ACTION ALERT: Stop military recruiting in schools!
 The Canadian military has been starting the recruiting process earlier than ever before. According to a CBC online reported on June 15, the Canadian Forces have been touring schools in St. John's as part of an outreach program. The story reports that a Grade 3 “class at Holy Cross Elementary school (in Holyrood, Newfoundland) were given a first-hand show-and-tell session with a tank and related gear.”
Andrew Cash wrote in the May 25, 2006 issue of Toronto's NOW magazine, “In both Toronto's public and Catholic boards, the (military co-op program) pays kids to join the Reserves, gives them four high school credits and trains them in, among other soldiering arts, machine gun shooting and grenade throwing.”
In response to the increased military presence in Canadian schools, ACT for the Earth has launched a “counter-recruitment” campaign called Operation Objection, which seeks to “reclaim our educational institutions for peace and the interests of students from those who would co-opt them for war.” At this year’s AGM, Council of Canadians members adopted a resolution calling on the military to stop all recruitment in Canadian schools, colleges and universities.
Take action by writing the Minister of Defence Peter MacKay and your provincial or territorial minister of education and demand that military recruiting be banned from Canada's educational institutions. Our schools should be a military-free zone. Click here to send your letter now!
Join the Council of Canadians today!
Founded in 1985 by a handful of citizens including Farley Mowat, Pierre Berton and Margaret Atwood, the Council of Canadians is Canada’s pre-eminent public watchdog organization. The Council receives no money from government, corporations or any political party. To preserve our complete independence, we ensure that almost all our revenue comes from generous individuals like you. Join the Council today, and help us prove that a better Canada is possible.
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