About Vancouver Island Water Watch Coalition
Vancouver Island Water Watch Coalition (VIWWC) was founded by a small group of concerned citizens in 2005 due to a concerted effort to privatize community water systems by profit seeking out of province and out of country corporations. The need to provide the public with accurate information regarding the harm privatization of public infastructure and water resources would cause was imperative, as a result VIWWC was formed.
Vancouver Island Water Watch is a non-partisan multi-community organization that accepts no government funding and has expanded Island-wide to include a broad range of individuals, regional groups and organizations.
As an umbrella organization, the mission of VIWWC is to work at guiding and supporting our member groups in lobbying all levels of government while we engage in various water-related projects.Our goal is to inform citizens of the dangers of privatizing our water and the watersheds that sustain our communities. We believe that a well informed public will make the right choices for themselves, the communities they live in and the generations who will follow.
Water is a human right and must not be sold as a commodity. Nor is water just for human consumption, it sustains all life and we citizens must guard against those who would use profit as a means to control our environment and our communities. Ownership and Control of water/wastewater must be kept within the public domain Anything less and we will have failed the generations which follow us.
Join us in keeping water clean, safe, affordable, accessible to all and public.
ACCOMPLISHED TO DATE ( May, 2015)
Hosted three large well attended Water Forums – Qualicum Beach, Nanaimo and Courtenay with speakers inlcuding Maude Barlow – Council of Canadians, Bill McKibbon – 350.org., Linda McQuaig – Author, Doug White – former Snuneymeux First Nations Chief, journalist, Andrew Nikiforuk, Ingmar Lee – activist, Damien Gillis – journalist and film maker and many others.
Lobbied municipal boards/councils encouraging them to become Blue Communities, with Nanaimo,Cumberland and Comox meeting the challenge.
Had 6 3D maps made by Trevor Wicks that detail the Islands Watersheds. These maps are displayed at gatherings, in schools, government buildings and at many community events.
Hosted a meeting in Nanaimo that saw representatives from Island points of Shawnigan to Sayward, formulating responses plus amendments to the proposed new Water Sustainability Act.
Met with respective MLA’s as well as the BC Liberal government Deputy Ministers in Victoria to discuss the proposed new Water Sustainability Act.
Sent delegates to the 2014 Polis Project on Ecological Governance, a forum for water practitioners, watershed groups, First Nations and other decision-makers, held at the Quw’utsun’ Cultural and Conference Centre in Duncan.
Provides legitimacy for smaller groups and assists in preventing bullying tactics by local governments.
2015 – Presentations to local governments are occurring advocating for watershed ownership/governance and management through community Watershed Boards.
2018 – A group of us from the Coalition and Coree Tull travelled to Victoria to once again present the cases for our Vancouver Island watersheds. We met with 12 Island Ministers and MLA’s. The meeting was a good one, but nothing…not a thing…changed!