--EDITORIAL COMMENT - Third Rock From the Sun

Ever have that almost out of body experience as if you’re an extraterrestrial dumped here on the Third Rock from the Sun? Like what are humans on this planet thinking? Climate change, environmental degradation, chemical pollution, too much water, not enough water…a big blue orb shining in space, the perfect home inhabited by a species that puts just about everything imaginable ahead of the means for life...water.

Then, just when you think you’re heard or read it all, along comes a gob-smacking article that just hits you in the face. Such was the latest entitled; Canada will emerge as global leader in water.

The author waxes eloquent that Canada has expertise in managing water as a resource and will be called on to help other nations and that, the country is in a strong position to share its wisdom with other nations. Really? Wow. My local elected representative doesn’t even know where the local aquifer is located.

A VIWWC website reader has commented on this particular article as follows:

Nelle Maxey wrote: "This whole article is complete bullshit."

Expertise in managing the global resource? First it is not a global resource, it OUR water! And second, they have no expertise in management. All you have to do is look at the Auditor Generals Report to Parliament on Water Sustainability to see the sad shape of our water-monitoring program. We have no idea how much water we have nor what the risks are to our supply from the coyly put "economic development" we are pursuing.

Or check out the Federal Ministry of Environment's own audit of their water monitoring program...completely lacking in number of water monitoring stations and their locations compared to all other countries in the comparison charts with the exception of Australia which monitors less than we do. How you "manage" what you don't monitor I have no idea!

Then there is that reference to First Nations water supply; the Feds have dealt with only 17 (or was it 13) of thousands of contaminated First Nations water supplies. This whole thing is industry based: the commodification of water and water systems, playing on everyone's fears from Walkerton to climate change. As the industry builds, our water goes unmonitored and unprotected. It's disgusting.

Check it out:
Canada Water Network—Who we are http: //www.cwn-rce.ca/about/what-is-an-nce/The Networks of Centers of Excellence (NCE) was established in 1989 as a new approach to research.

This made in Canada model has been acknowledged around the world as a highly effective way to strengthen a country’s research capacity, build partnerships, and translate discoveries and advances into economic prosperity and a better quality of life. The NCE programs are narrowing the gap between research and commercialization and producing research that is applicable to Canadians.

For 20 years, the NCE has challenged Canada’s research community to change how applied research is conducted across the country by linking those who conduct research with end users who will ultimately benefit from its application. It has resulted in an unprecedented level of collaboration between university researchers, graduate students, industry, and public sector institutions and not for profit organizations. Canada has mobilized the best and brightest across the country to collectively address many of the most pressing environmental, health, economic and social challenges.

This is exactly the "science" model that is being adopted here in BC on which to base water management decisions. Completely industry driven to develop expensive complicated money making water infrastructure technology that will be useless to anyone except the water industry who wants to take control of water supply management for profit and our supposed protection. Don't worry though; these boys will fix all the problems. Not by stopping pollution but by developing technology to mitigate it, so we can carry on with business as usual and skip off into the sunset, hand-in-hand with the CETA boys.

Nelle Maxey