#Guelph #Nestle

People are celebrating news that Nestlé has left the building in response to new Ontario legislation that allows municipalities to block new water bottling permits.

This is not the time to throw a party. We haven't won shit. (thread)

As I'm sure @wwaterwatchers will tell you, Nestlé is NOT the fundamental problem. It's commodification. Privatization of natural wealth stolen from the Mississaugas of the Credit.

Nestlé is "leaving the market" but another private company is taking their place.

The wells have not come back to public control, and never will under the new legislation. Water will still be sold as a private good.

Municipalities can indeed block new permits and new wells, but the Province will ONLY allow this on grounds of conservation and environmental assessment, NOT access issues.

Meaning we can only stop private bids for wells if we can prove they will deplete the aquifer resource beyond repair. Which the company isn't too likely to do anyway, because they want a sustainable commodity to exploit...

Meanwhile, if we want to stop them from buying a well that is necessary to expand municipal public utility capacity, we can't. We have to outbid bottling companies for access to the water under our feet, even if it's necessary to support population growth.

Long term this means low water pressure (which carries risk of contamination) and lower public supply, which will turn people to buy more water bottles for drinking.

Short term it may mean less popular resistance against the local bottling plant and any efforts to further privatize access to water, leaving room for unscrutinized private activity.

Luckily @wwaterwatchers is savvy to this. They understand how capitalists try to placate the public with strategic concessions. Their webinar on Monday looks like it will address just that, and will encourage people in Wellington County to continue the fight.

And I bet it will also address the fact that the Mississaugas have the right to influence the future of water use in Guelph-Wellington, independent of Provincial legislation.