- QUEsrrONs
WATERREADTNoS
Exportof BulkWoter
Preventingthe
I. Whot is the globolpictureon woterlike?
the bulkexport
2. fn your ownwords,what arelhe reosonsfor preventing
of water?(5 points)
Ottowomustoct to protect our Water
qvoidnoming
bulkwoterqs q Good?
3. Why mustConqdiqns
Shoringondwhyis it importont?
4. Whot is Proportionol
Plonto sellLokeSuperiorwaterrevived
to do with the woter?
5. Whot wosNova6roupplonning
agoinstthe Ministry
e the cloimsthot the NovoGroupis moking
6. Summoriz
of the Environment.
hoveaboutthe Novo
7. Describesomeof the f eorsthot environmentolists
allowedto tokewater.
Groupbeing
ProtectConodo's
water
if they wereto sellbulkwoterZ
B. Whot orethebenefitsto Newfoundlond
9. Why doesthis concernthe rest of Conodo?
10.Whot ore someof the imooctsof the removolof bulkwoter?
TheGreatLakes
Preventing
theexportof bulkwater
By REGGrLsenr
mately no tirreat to the lakes. Tiny public hearings around the Great
Nova had no tankers or even custom-. l-akes.
The Aprii, i998 headline seemed ers. The media made monthJong
These are some of the reasonsthe
irrnocuous: Firnr will sell water to headlinesof the permit, both federa] governments should prevent bulk exAsia.
governments protested it, and Ontar- port of Great l-akeswater:
It was just a story about a standard io quickly cancelled it.
lContemporary export schemesare
government permit. The province of
The real danger comes from the the "tip of the iceberg." The-world
Ontario was allowine the small Nova multi-national French, Engiish, and market for clean, fresh water is aIGroup to ri.ll some ta-nkerswith lake
U.S. water companies with fleets of ready iarge and promises to grow exSuperior water for shipment to the tankers, interests in pipeline compa- ponentially. Once established,buik
Far East.
nies, and scores of contracts for mu- lrade in Great la.kes water would asBut the issue alarmed both envi- nicipal water services. These eco- sume its own economic and political
ronmenta-listsand the general public. nomic powerhouses are creating the momenfum, eventually affecting lake
Follow-up stories continued for global water market. They are able to water levels and quality.
weeks. We're startins to sell the make the local economic bargains, lWoter removals are environmenGreat l-akes to a thirsry-world?
and political campaign donations, tally harmful Natural flows of water
There is little doubt about the im- neededto get accessto the ciean wa- through the Great lakes support fuh
'portance
of water. The United Na- terthey desire.
ald wildlife in numerous, barely untions estimates that 54 countries are
Will one of their sources of water
derstoodways. Changingtheseilows
already facing water shortagesso se- eventualiy be the Great lakes?
will harm regional ecosystems. AII
vere that they threaten food security
Not if the Great lakes public acts world communities must learn to live
for their people.A lack of water to ir- quickly and decisively.
responsibly within the Iimits of their
rigate farm land may force China to
The Canadian and United States watersheds.Far rrom export water.
import more gra-in by 2050 than is federal governments have dragged we in the Great lakes should better
currently avaiiable for export in the their feet for more than a decade in conserveou-r'waterresources. ' .,
'water
,:
entire world.
the face of citizen calls for strong, I Bulk
export wiII not c:redte
The growing global economy Iong-term protection of Great I-akes jobs.As demonstratedby todays logshou.ld give Great Lakes residents, waters. :. .,r
. ..-r.
grng and mining bperations, modern
comfortable in our water abundance,
However,stungbylast spring's un- resource extracrion can be carried
causefor concern. Our lakes conta-in expected outcry over the Nova per- out by just a few employees operat95 per cent of North America's fresh mit, the goverrrmentsseem serious ing big equipment. Bulk water export
water, and fully a fifth of the fresh about doing somethingnow. ,
will provide liftle economic benefit
water on the planet.
I-ast month they asked the U.S.- for Basin communities while ulti'
If "water will be the oil of the 21st. Canada lnternational Joint Commis- mately threatening ,the viability of
Century,'r.*
standard economic sion (UQ to quickly study the issue high-emplo)rment recreatiorl ; tourana-lysisclaims, tien our region's- of bulk water export and deliver rec- ism and other indusfies that reouire
most precious resource will be in ommendations for action within six , nahyal water levels and good water
opet
domrnrl
montbs. The UC wants public input
qUalrry.
I j
,:
T ast yeais export scheme was ulti- ..into this study, so it is holding eight ,;Bulla water export will no?
stgnriicantJy benefit water-starved coun.fies. Even large-scale water export
cart not possibly satisfy the social and
- economic needs of distant societies.
Instead, exported water will al.lownationai ettes to assure the qualitv of
:: their drinking water supplies *:hile
ignoring local water pollution and the
waste of their national warer man.-agementsystems..
-J,
:lThe Great Lo.kesshould set a con' seruatton standard for the'world. Il
we wish to frsert tnit slobal commu'.nities must live wirhi the limits of
.. their watersheds, we should set the
.. example by creating the finest water\
..,shedprotectionregimeonearth.. ..
SfAR FILE+iOTO
%"o"$b
St=rc
u 2 q 'qq
\
Ottawamust actto protectour water
Bv MauoEB,lnlow
The recent revelation that several
have applied to export
businesses
.1
Canadian water has rekindled a debate that started five years ago as to
whether NAFTA puts our freshwater
supplies at risk
The Nova Group of Sault Ste. Ma'
rie has received a five-year Permit
ifrom the Ontario government to
I draw up to 10 million litres of water a
i day from t:ke Superior for export to
Asia and the McCurdv Group of
,tCompaniesof Gander has app[6d to
..export about 52 billion litres of water
j a yearfrom Gisbourne Lake in southj ern Neq'foundland.
I fn" government of Newfoundland
! has given the project the good houseI keeping sea.lof approval, citing badly
i needed jobs. Atl that remairs is art
j environmenta-l review.Unless federal
I government action is taken very
f . soon, it is almost certajn that Canada
witt Ue exporting water vrithin the
{
1 year.
for concern.
-i
There
lhere rs
is grave
srave cause lor
,t
i Chapter 3 of NAFTA establishesobligations regarding the trade in goods.
It uses the GATT definition of a
"good" which clearly lists, "waters,
inciuding natural or artificial waters
and aerated waters" and adds in an
explanatory note that "ordinary natural water of all kinds (other than sea
water)" is included.
When the dea-lwas behg negotiated, NAFTA opponents pointed this
out and asked the government to specifically exempt the trade in water
from the deal. The government argued that under Canadian domestic
law, NAFTA does not apply to the
trade inwater. This is correct. But do
mestic law does not bind NAFTA
panels. ln fact, the U.S. spelled out its
clear position at the time. Mickey
Kantor, then U.S. Trade Representa'lvhen water is traded as a
tive, said
of the agreement
provisions
all
good,
governingtrade in goods apply."
"Thus," explains respected trade
lawyer, Barry fupleton, "in the American view, NAFTA's obligations
on water will commence whenever
water is t-aded as a good. This view
appea$ to be an accurate reading of
the terms of NAFTA When water is
not traded as a good, it would not be
subject to the terms of NAFTA chap'While water is covered as a
ter 3.
good, the NAFTA trade obligations
will not apply until water is traded."
in other words, the question is
moot until some government in Can- '
ada grants a permit to export water.
What happens then is that the "National Treatment" provision of NA-FTA kicks in. This provision provides
for "non-discrimination" in the commercial use of ow water to irvestors
in all NAFTA partner countries- Private American and Mexican companies wor:ld then have the same right
of establishment to the commercial
use of Canadian waters as Canadians. If Canadian companies export
our water, American transnationals
could help themselves to as much as
they iike.
Now, here's the kicker: If the federal government bans the export of Canadian water, as it is being urged to
do (in fact, the Ontario company has
offered to withdraw its request if t}te
government will introduce this law),
bv that very act it names water as a
Presidnt & ChieJEzeutiue OJJica:
DAyrDA. G,u,rou'rv
I
I
D.rtrn ,l. G,rtlol.rt
trI.*nr P. Co\-\TLL
C.{-rpsEu,R. E{Rlrr
Ltd., is
TorontoStarNewspapers
a wholll'ownedsubsidianof
Tontar Corp.
DtrecLfrs:
Josx R. Er',lr.-s,Chainan
CATSERT]-E
ATKr\sor l\IUrnr v
Peur G. S. Cr-rron
Enl'eru L. Dosrc,rx
commercial t-adeabie commodity,
triggering NAFTA American "investors" would be. grarted NAFTA :-'
rights in the very law that excludes
them, and under chapter I I - the
provision that gives companies the
right to sue governments for lost future profit - they could claim for financial compensation. This is because there was no such ban when
NAFTAwas signed. Any new iaw any
government introduces under chapter l1 is lutnerable to challenge.Similar compensation would not be ava.i-lable to Canadian investors.
Under NAFTA the only way the
Canadian government could protect
water would be to invoke the GATT
exceptions provided for natural resources but that would be subject to
the NAFTA "proportionai sharing"
clause whereby Canada would have
obligations to continue to suppiy water to NAFTApartners.
The minister responsible, uoyd
Axworthy, who fought NAFTA with
passion and expertise, imows all this.
To buy himselJsometime, he sent tle
",o
3#HHffi,fi:::';T"r;?
Iegal jurisdiction, for a recommenda'
tion for action. But the eagerness of
the government of Newfoundland to
commercialize and export its water
has changedthe whole situation.
The federal government must act
now to protect Caaadian water. But it
cannot do so while still under NAFTA
obligation.What is more important to
Caaada- these trade obiigations,or
ourwater?
MoudeBarlow is the nofionalchair of
the Co uncil of Canodions.
Drrrn \\'.LlrJosr A. Hosnrnrur
Rr-ruAxrt I\'rr-run
L-r-rctPnturs
NprsosS.Tmu
I
=l
..i
I
\-,
Iiiiigsit
i;
iigiis
iggi
!:gi€
iffegErisrEF;Ei
;c:i:*E!:Eti:#
rl ei!;:
EiFi;iA*FigEiiEsi;iF
F"
-?
i;ii,;;e;a;
c'IiEetll
ajeg**€qiii
E=,
rtF:tsr
'
;€;;e}Fiq5=Eit6-iil;
I
Et,
\l
j
t.:
Lt:jr:ir!.
:,riar
Eieii:;
lg+
I
trffElEi
l
I
{.i:illrL:
:i+il'i.
rl-it'{:.'
iEiiliff
lei
E;ii*ir
ser;E:#E
irg:i;ii+ff*
[
lr!:n;,"
'.
l:lr'.
I iti;;:,
'Eulsg
I: :sa;[
II
];5'ti
+
N.
E
eEiEE'
EE!t:ifi
lifi.;'
i,sEEiisiI
IffErigHEEgf
I
.,-'
=
z
'-jt-;.;:ittt-.ut
**.g*+EE
,
c:=
aE
;rs''
=f*;#,,'g'irf'
E!€.?=fci€€:EtiiE='
EEFAgEeeEti;
#E,f,Ei
-.--
.
gevelopers
wouldbeconstnr.ti"gui_
fordable
apartments.
Butthey're
not.Theymaynever,
as
longastheprovincialandflderal gov.
ernments
sitonthesidelines,
refuJing
to help.
Thecitydesewes
creditfor attemptingto craftasolutionusingits own
limitedfinancialresources-and
the
goodwilofthecommunity.
.]he ryojeqfacesanumberof significanthurdlesThefirstisfindingasite.
Ofthe17
Iocationslookedatio far,mostre_
b-iladroAsG=
hend why Chi
government."
The Varsitv
Ietters to the"e
anti-Beijingprr
any other issi
were writr^.
ments,we'il need30homeiesssnef_
ters insteadof two,"housing
conmissioner Keith Ward said.
It's not hard to understandthe roots
of theproblem-sinceigg5,onlyZg
rental quits havebeenbuilt in peel
and240acrossGreaterToronto.
Likewise,it's not hard to under_
standthat 20 hornesis a drop in the
bucket.
Building affordablehousingin To
ronto, Peelandthe province'sother
urban cenbeswill requirethefinan_
cial assistanceof seniorpoliticians.
If on$ thry would wakeup to the
crisis unfolding aroundthem.
identifuin
All of-thi
names.
ProtectCanada'swater
When Newfoundlandpremier Rog. _There'severyreasonto put theleg_
took atsparklingCisbo;e
islative
brakeson potentialbulk salis.
:.91 :.
r^aKelntneeasternpart of his prov_
Underthe NorthAmericanFree
ince,heseesliquidgold.
TradeAgreement,oncea province
Thenewpremierwantsto suckout
like Newfoundlande4portswaterin
billionsof gallonsayear,andsellthe
bulk, watermaybe deemeda badewater in bulk via ocean_going
tanker
ablegoodunderNAFIA.
shipsto thirsty Americans,Mexicans
In future, Ottawamight not be able
andothers.
to preventprivatecompanies
from
Grimesbelieves,rightlyorno! that
trading in bulk water,without facing
,
ne cangenerate$70million a yearrev_
legal challengesandstiff costs.
enue,enoughto seni Newfo,rnOrrrA_
New DemocratMp Bill Blaikie says
ersto collegeandunivenityforfree.
we should all beworried aboutthat
And he haspretymuchtold the rest
prospect,andhe'sright.
of the country to mind its own
Prime Minister JeanChr6tien'sgov.
business.
ernmentmust tacklethis challenge
But this schemeis verymuch our
head-on.We needstronglegislati-on
business.
banning bulk sales,of anysort.
By pullingtheplug on Gisborne,the
ln the meantime,more-thana few
premierwouldopena fl oodgate,and
Newfoundlandersareobjectingto
shattera Canadiannationalionsen_
Grimes'short-sighted
scheme.-It
was
susthat water is avital resourcethat
consideredby formerpremierBrian
we shouldcarefullyhusband.
Tobin in 1999,andrejectedfor all
. Rightnow,Canadaexportsonly
thesereasons.
iimited quantitiesof bottiedwat"i. Not
Hard thoughit maybeto imagine
.
inbulk.
thatwateris a scarceresource,we still
It-wastheprovincesthemselves,
in_ can't takeit for granted.
.
cluding Newfoundland,ttrai Uanned
Waterlevelsevenin thevastGreat
suchsales.
lakes fluctuatemarkedlyfromseason
Now0ttawa proposesto prohibit
to season.
.
bulksalesof waterfrommorethan
Natural climacticvariationaffects
300bodiessbaddlingthe Canada_U.S.
water levels.Sodoesindustrv-indu_
border.
cedclimacticchanges.
And evenblike
Thatincludes
theGreatlakes.
ElNino.
whichaccountfor20
percentofthe
Earth'sfreshzurface
water.
Untilnowithasbeenaszumed
that
Ottawaandtheprovinces
wouldmake
commoncauseonnationalregula_
tionsto banthesaleof bulkwiter
fromothersources
fartherafieldfrom
theborder.
\
':
ThatledtheCanada-U.S.Interna_
tionalJointCommission
toissuethis
warningtwoyearsago:"Considerable
cautionshouldbq.exercised
withrespectto anyotherfactonpotentially
placingdownward
pressures
onwaier
levelsandoudlows.n
Bulksales
qualify.
lould
e
aut
For me, reac
shocking rerni
Canada's hum
based in Euror
$"ul}y the por
turoPean exp(
alien that basis
Canadians whc
have no culfun
rary, parliame
dawnof the Uni
At the same t
were bleeding
civic heart of lc
the rhythm of a
ter, Higher, Str
fever had begun
urDan commun
for a spectacular
itingGames offic
The press ge
Olympic 'bid br
tween hero and
Goodvs. Beijing
slur against Beiji
rounds thatweek
Chinesecapital
-C' q
choice for
its governmr r
of human riehts that so concimec
tors who followed
r\
5ea
Mayor Paul Scl
clude the influenr
amination of Ma
But there is one r
the charge Scheli
forces - review of
sionsmadeby Sea
Race is alwavs a
raisine the soectr,
black--on-whiievic
ly sensitive.Schel
away from it. The
of such an examin
condemnation of I
€lssome in the blac
but irsight into w
societymay have d
Three panels wi
and safety, riots in
Square the nieht ot
er citywide evEnts.
TomntoStrr Newspa
a rvhollyorvnedsubsir
Torstar Corp.
I