• Protecting Water and Farmland in Simcoe County

McGuinty to sell out Ontario and put water at risk – COC

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In Water
Mar 11th, 2010
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Toronto – The Council of Canadians is deeply concerned with the McGuinty government’s support for policies that put water in Ontario and abroad at risk, following today’s Throne Speech and is questioning whether the Premier is actually committed to protecting water, given his emphasis on privatization and ‘tech fixes’ that create more problems than they solve.
“McGuinty is using people’s genuine growing concern about water as a Trojan horse for widespread privatization,” says Council of Canadians national water campaigner Meera Karunananthan. “The Water Opportunities Act proposed in today’s Throne Speech will push water meters and corporatized water boards, which would remove local accountability and set the table for the biggest private water companies in the world to control our drinking water.”
“The Premier’s support for water cleanup technology while allowing unhindered development, water takings and mining – including for chromite – is the wrong approach,” says Karunananthan. “If water is protected there is no need for new technology. The fact that he refuses to rip up the Certificate of Approval for Site 41 means we should all be very skeptical about his government’s alleged commitment to water.”
“The Premier has indicated a willingness sell off profitable crown corporations to pay down the deficit but his privatization agenda will leave Ontarians poorer and with less control over their most vital services,” says Council of Canadians Ontario Regional Organizer Mark Calzavara. “Selling any amount of them now means that future governments will be able to sell off the rest whenever they decide they need extra cash. In addition to generating revenue for the government every year, these public institutions can provide a leading role in addressing the climate crisis through increased energy conservation and efficiency and the expansion of renewable energy. When profit becomes the only goal, these other benefits will disappear.”

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