Our Water Is Not For Sale

Did you know that we have a water crisis in Alberta? And it would seem that, as with most crisis', it is of our own making. If you want more information on water markets, or just want to know what the fuss is about, come out to Medicine Hat College this Friday night, December 9th at 7pm in Room S154 to hear Jeremy Schmidt talk about alternative water futures in Alberta.

"In 2008, the Alberta government announced it would review and update the water allocation system in the province, a system that is proving increasingly incapable of dealing with the challenges of today’s emerging water crisis. Policy recommendations released by the government in late 2009 suggest it is moving toward a province-wide deregulated market for water in the province, turning critical decisions about who will be able to access water over to the market.

With long-delayed public consultations promised in the new year by Premier Redford, it’s more important than ever for Albertans to explore and discuss alternatives to water markets that will build a water allocation system on the principles of equity, fairness, sustainability and respect for treaty obligations.

Join the Our Water Is Not For Sale network and Jeremy Schmidt, author of the report Alternative Water Futures in Alberta, for an exploration of the challenges for water in Alberta, why markets aren’t the answer to Alberta’s water challenges and what alternative allocation systems that protect our water commons for ecosystems, our communities and future generations could look like.

Presented by the Our Water Is Not For Sale network, with support from the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Council of Canadians, Parkland Institute, Public Interest Alberta and Sierra Club Prairie

Jeremy Schmidt’s research report Alternative Water Futures in Alberta is now available on the Parkland Institute website at www.parklandinstitute.ca.

About Jeremy Schmidt

Jeremy J. Schmidt is a Trudeau Scholar and PhD candidate in the Department of Geography at the University of Western Ontario. He holds a MA in Geography (McGill) and two undergraduate degrees (Lethbridge; Prairie) with majors in geography, philosophy, theology and wilderness leadership. He is the co-editor of Water Ethics: Foundational Readings for Students and Professionals and has been a board member of the Canadian Water Resources Association (CWRA) since 2009. He has served on working groups for ethics and water management with UNESCO and for a pan-Canadian water strategy with the CWRA. He has been an invited participant of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the Religion, Science and Environment Symposium. His graduate work includes studies of global biogeochemistry, environmental economics, and resource management. His doctoral research examines water governance, ethics and environmental management in Alberta: www.waterethic.ca."  - (this section is taken from the "Our Water Is Not For Sale" website).

Here are two short videos showing what can happen when water is commodified.  Don't deceive yourself, it can happen here just as easily as there. 

The third video is a trailer for the movie, "Blue Gold: World Water Wars".