BLUE COMMUNITIES PROJECT: Water Commons

BLUE COMMUNITIES PROJECT: Water Commons

Postby Oscar » Wed Mar 22, 2017 8:57 am

Brandon/Westman chapter asks their City Council to endorse blue community resolutions

[ http://canadians.org/blog/brandonwestma ... esolutions ]

March 20, 2017 - 9:51 pm

The Council of Canadians Brandon/Westman chapter presented to Brandon City Council today about the blue communities project.

The Brandon Sun has reported, "Brandon City Council will hear a presentation on Monday on becoming a 'blue community', from the local Council of Canadians chapter. The Blue Communities Project encourages communities to adopt a water commons framework by recognizing water and sanitation as human rights; banning or phasing out the sale of bottled water in municipal facilities/events; and promoting publicly financed, owned and operated water and wastewater services."

Winnipeg-based Council of Canadians organizer Brigette DePape tells us, "We had a great presentation to the Brandon City Council."

DePape highlights, "Heather Doty, of the Brandon chapter, Doug Tingey from the Winnipeg chapter and I stood together to present to Brandon City Council. Heather explained how Brandon currently has public water services, and encouraged councillors to ban bottled water and to recognize water as a human right. I said that we can meet our global and local needs not through privatizing and bottling water, which exacerbates the ecological crisis, but through protecting local water. And Doug encouraged the City to be a strong voice against the Energy East pipeline given the impact it could have on their drinking water."

City Council received the presentation encouraging Brandon to become a blue community.

There are currently 18 blue communities in Canada, including:
Atlantic - District of Lunenburg
Ontario-Quebec - Thunder Bay, Bayfield, Tay Township, Amqui, Thorold, Welland, St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Ajax, Tiny Township
Pacific - Tsal'alh, St’át’imc Territory, Comox, Cumberland, Nanaimo, North Vancouver, Victoria, Burnaby

Other chapters are also working to designate eight more municipalities as blue communities: Prince Albert (they will be at a City Council meeting on March 27 for a vote on two of the three blue community resolutions), Saskatoon, Montreal, Toronto, South Shore, Charlottetown, Stratford, and St. John's.

For more information on our blue communities campaign, please click here:
[ http://canadians.org/bluecommunities ]

Tags: chapters
[ http://canadians.org/tags/chapters ]

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Re: BLUE COMMUNITIES PROJECT: Water Commons

Postby Oscar » Wed May 03, 2017 5:21 pm

Barlow meets with the Pope's representative in Canada to discuss our blue communities campaign

[ https://canadians.org/blog/barlow-meets ... s-campaign ]

May 3, 2017 - 6:37 pm

Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow and the Blue Planet Project's Meera Karunananthan met with His Excellency Luigi Bonazzi, the Apostolic Nuncio, in Ottawa earlier today to discuss our blue communities project.

The Papal Nuncio is the Pope's representative in Canada.

Pope Francis, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has spoken clearly in support of the human right to water on several occasions.

In February, the Pope stated, "All people have a right to safe drinking water. This is a basic human right and a central issue in today’s world. This is a problem that affects everyone and is a source of great suffering in our common home. It also cries out for practical solutions capable of surmounting the selfish concerns that prevent everyone from exercising this fundamental right. Water needs to be given the central place it deserves in the framework of public policy."

He added, "We are obliged to proclaim this essential human right and to defend it – as we have done – but we also need to work concretely to bring about political and juridical commitments in this regard. Every state is called to implement, also through juridical instruments, the Resolutions approved by the United Nations General Assembly since 2010 concerning the human right to a secure supply of drinking water."

And he has observed, "Respect for water is a condition for the exercise of the other human rights. If we consider this right fundamental, we will be laying the foundations for the protection of other rights. But if we neglect this basic right, how will we be able to protect and defend other rights?"

Furthermore, in his June 2015 Encyclical Letter 'Laudato Si', the Pope wrote about his opposition to the privatization and commodification of water.

He noted, "Even as the quality of available water is constantly diminishing, in some places there is a growing tendency, despite its scarcity, to privatize this resource, turning it into a commodity subject to the laws of the market. Yet access to safe drinkable water is a basic and universal human right, since it is essential to human survival and, as such, is a condition for the exercise of other human rights.”

And in March 2015, the Pope stated, "I encourage, therefore, the international community to make sure the planet's water is adequately protected and no one is excluded or discriminated against [in the fair use of] the most essential element for life. The future of humanity depends on our ability to safeguard and share [clean water]."

Our blue community project very much reflects this outlook. A 'blue community' is a municipality, university, religious institution, union or other social grouping that recognizes water as a human right, opposes bottled water, and promotes publicly financed, owned and operated water and wastewater services.

In October 2016, Barlow presented a blue community certificate to the World Council of Churches at a ceremony in Geneva. The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches. The fellowship includes denominations collectively representing a Christian population of some 590 million people in nearly 150 countries in all regions of the world.

Barlow will also be speaking about our blue communities campaign at the Canadian Religious Conference meeting on June 6-8 in Toronto. As noted on their website, "Established in 1954, the Canadian Religious Conference brings together the leaders of 250 Catholic congregations of women and men religious in Canada."

To find out more about our blue communities project, please click here:
[ https://canadians.org/bluecommunities ]


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Re: BLUE COMMUNITIES PROJECT: Water Commons

Postby Oscar » Wed May 10, 2017 11:02 am

Almost 20 blue communities now in place in Switzerland

[ https://canadians.org/blog/almost-20-bl ... witzerland ]

May 6, 2017 - 2:17 pm

(PHOTO: Who owns the water?)

There are now almost twenty blue communities in Switzerland.

The first blue communities in Switzerland were recognized on September 18, 2015. On that day, Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow presented a blue community certificate to the City of Bern and the University of Bern.

Barlow noted, “In becoming Blue Communities, the City and University of Bern are showing leadership in Europe in asserting that water is a common heritage of humanity and of future generations as well as our own. You are committing to protect the waters of Switzerland as a human right, a public trust and a not-for-profit public service. It is my fervent hope that your undertaking today will be the beginning of a European-wide movement that will one day reach across the whole world.”

A blue community certificate was also presented at that time to the Evangelisch-reformierte Kirchgemeinde Bern-Johannes Church.

The World Council of Churches (based in Geneva) became a blue community on October 25, 2016, as did the City of St. Gallen and the University of St. Gallen on September 26, 2016, and the Evangelisch-Reformierte Kirchgemeinde Spiez, on September 1, 2016.

Now Swiss-based activist Lisa Krebs tells us, "We have almost 20 blue communities in Switzerland."

Those blue communities include HEKS - Swiss Church Aid (an aid organization of the Swiss Protestant Churches based in Geneva that became a blue community on March 20) and Haus der Kirche ('The House of the Church', a meeting place/ conference centre located in the northern Black Forest that was founded by Cistercian monks in 1149).

Other communities in Switzerland that could become blue communities in the near future include Brot für alle (a Swiss non-governmental organization that is the Development Service of the Protestant Churches of Switzerland), the University of Fribourg (which has about 10,000 students), the City Church of Biel (a Swiss Reformed church in Biel/Bienne that was constructed in 1470), and the University of Applied Sciences HTW Chur (which has 1,600 students).

It is notable that the bottled water giant Nestlé is a transnational corporation based in Vevey, Switzerland.

The blue communities project was founded by The Council of Canadians and the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

To learn more about the blue communities initiative in Switzerland (in German and French), please click here:
[ http://www.bluecommunity.ch/index.php?s=WILLKOMMEN&id=1 ]

You can also find out more about the blue communities project on The Council of Canadians website by clicking here:
[ https://canadians.org/bluecommunities ]


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Re: BLUE COMMUNITIES PROJECT: Water Commons

Postby Oscar » Sat May 13, 2017 7:18 am

Councillor McQuaid-England champions Oshawa becoming a blue community

[ https://canadians.org/blog/councillor-m ... -community ]

May 12, 2017 - 11:59 am

The Council of Canadians supports the efforts of Councillor Amy McQuaid-England to have Oshawa recognized as a blue community.

The Oshawa Express reports, "At a recent meeting of the Corporate Services committee, councillors asked staff to look into their options for eliminating bottled water in city facilities and from municipal events. The motion, brought forward by Councillor Amy McQuaid-England, would complete a trio of criteria in order for Oshawa to be considered for designation as a Blue Community."

It's unclear, but the implication from the article is that the City of Oshawa has already endorsed the two other principles of becoming a blue community - recognizing the human right to water and promoting publicly financed, owned and operated water and waste water services.

The article notes, "There is no indication as to when staff would be reporting back to city council on this matter."

This recent development has a history.

In February 2013, the Oshawa Environmental Advisory Committee recommended that City Council direct City staff to 1) review the implications of the blue communities initiative for the municipality and 2) that City staff be directed to investigate options to reduce the use of bottled water.

Following that motion, Nestle's director of corporate affairs John Challinor made a deputation to the City's Development Services Committee on March 25, 2013 in opposition to the City investigating ways to reduce the use of bottled water.

Councillor McQuaid-England disagreed with Challinor at that meeting.

The first part of the motion passed (to review the implications of blue community designation), but the second motion was voted down (to investigate ways to reduce the use of bottled water).

If you live in Oshawa and want to let your city councillor know that you support a blue community designation, you can find their contact information here:
[ https://www.oshawa.ca/city-hall/city-co ... embers.asp ]

To read more about our blue communities campaign, please click here:
[ https://canadians.org/bluecommunities ]


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Re: BLUE COMMUNITIES PROJECT: Water Commons

Postby Oscar » Tue May 23, 2017 8:51 am

Northampton, Massachusetts city council to vote on 'blue community' motion on June 1

[ https://canadians.org/blog/northampton- ... ion-june-1 ]

May 23, 2017 - 6:14 am

City Council President Bill Dwight, University of Massachusetts Amherst Professor Bill Diamond, and Northampton High School student Mali Hornby-Finch have championed Northampton becoming a blue community.

Northampton is poised to become the first blue community in the United States. The city of just over 28,000 people is situated 170 kilometres west of Boston.

NBC-affiliate WWLP News reports, "City councilors approved the first step [on May 18] in a resolution for Northampton becoming the first 'blue community' in America. Blue communities promise to protect water as a public resource and minimize the number of bottled waters consumed in the city. 'The idea is to change the consciousness of the community', says Northampton city council president Bill Dwight."

That article notes, "Dwight said the idea was inspired by Canada, which has blue communities. 'Maybe the community will start to appreciate the water systems that we do have and the water provisions that we do have, and that’s it’s protected from being turned into a commodity by private corporations'. Those who support the idea say Northampton should do what Canada does: install enough water fountains and bottle-filling stations, put them in municipal buildings, and allow anybody to use them. Dwight says the city council hasn’t figured out yet how much that idea would cost. If Northampton becomes a 'blue community', businesses wouldn’t be required to sell less bottled water, but they would be encouraged to refill re-usable bottles from the tap."

The Daily Hampshire Gazette highlights, "City Council unanimously approved a resolution on the matter on [May 18] in first reading."

That article notes Northampton High School student supports Northampton becoming a blue community. She is fundraising to install a third bottle-filling station in her school. A counter on one of the school's water bottle-filling stations says it has helped eliminate the waste of almost 41,000 disposable plastic bottles.

The article adds, "Proponents said the city should do as many in Canada do — make sure there are enough water fountains and water bottle-filling stations so residents can fill their own bottles during events and inside municipal buildings. The environmental club at Northampton High School has already raised over $900 [through GoFundMe and a Parent Teacher Organization grant] to erect such a station at the school. 'Transforming Northampton into a blue community will have an impact on the future', said Northampton High School senior Mali Hornby-Finch, a member of the environmental club."

And ABC-affiliate WGGB reports, "Bill Diamond is part of the Unitarian Society in Northampton [as well as a member of the Unitarian Climate Action Group and a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst]. He's tracked the European and Canadian version of blue communities from the start. Bill told Western Mass News that Northampton is ready to make the switch to blue. 'The area around the reservoir and aquifers are ready. We have a water privatization ordinance', said Bill."

It adds, "If Northampton made the switch, it would make a big difference according to Bill. We use about 4-5 million single use bottles every year. And if Mali has her way, by next school year, Northampton High will be scrapping even more plastic water bottles from existence. It'll definitely eliminate a big amount of plastic water bottles and encourage people to bring their own wherever they go, instead of buying them."

A Western Mass News TV clip on this can be seen here:
[ http://www.westernmassnews.com/story/35 ... -community ]

A WWLP TV clip can be watched here:
[ http://wwlp.com/2017/05/19/northampton- ... e-country/ ]

Diamond's December 2016 op-ed in the Daily Hampshire Gazette calling for the city to become a blue community can be read here:
[ http://www.gazettenet.com/Columnist-Bil ... ct-6892995 ]


The vote takes place on June 1.

Brent Patterson's blog
Political Director of the council of Canadians
[ https://canadians.org/blogs/brent-patterson ]

= = = = =

WIN! Northampton, Massachusetts a blue community!

[ https://canadians.org/blog/win-northamp ... -community ]

June 6, 2017 - 10:17 am

Northampton, Massachusetts is now a blue community!

The Daily Hampshire Gazette reports, "The city became the first so-called blue community in the U.S. when City Council passed a resolution to that effect on [June 1]."

The article adds, "The framework for the blue community movement, which seeks to protect public water and minimize use of single-use plastic water bottles, comes from Canada. Northampton resident and University of Massachusetts marketing professor Bill Diamond stumbled upon the initiative in his research about plastic water bottles, and decided it was a good fit for the city."

And it notes, "City Council President Bill Dwight, among those to unanimously approve the measure, said it's a first step toward changing the way we think about bottled water."

Northampton is a city of just over 28,000 people and is situated 170 kilometres west of Boston.

Congratulations to everyone who helped to get this resolution passed!

For more on our blue community campaign, please click here:
[ https://canadians.org/bluecommunities ]


Further reading:

Northampton, Massachusetts city council to vote on 'blue community' motion on June 1 (May 23, 2017)
[ https://canadians.org/blog/northampton- ... ion-june-1 ]


Tags: BPP
[ https://canadians.org/tags/bpp ]


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Re: BLUE COMMUNITIES PROJECT: Water Commons

Postby Oscar » Sat May 27, 2017 5:32 pm

Barlow asks Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) to become a blue community

[ https://canadians.org/blog/barlow-asks- ... -community ]

May 27, 2017 - 3:54 pm

(Twitter photo by @SueAdairFreeman)

Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow spoke about water, workers rights, social justice and our blue communities campaign at the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) Ontario Region convention in Mississauga earlier today.

The outreach noted, "The 7th Triennial Convention of the Ontario Region of the Public Service Alliance of Canada will be held at the Hilton Mississauga/Meadowvale hotel [in] Mississauga, Ontario, from May 26th – 28th, 2017."

PSAC Ontario has tweeted - "Thank you @MaudeBarlow for fighting to make water a human right for all people. The Canadian govt. needs to do more."

Other tweets from this morning tell us:

• "Every Generation has the right to clean water and clean air and what we do now matters" - Maude Barlow
• Maude Barlow at #psacontario - more children die from water borne illnesses than from war.
• @MaudeBarlow speaking on the importance of protecting public water around the world.
• @PSACOntario @psacnat #maudebarlow do not underestimate the power of our Solidarity of water #bluecommunity
• @PSACOntario @psacnat Maude Barlow water warrior asks us to become a blue community

Becoming a blue community [ https://canadians.org/bluecommunities ] means that a union, municipality, university, First Nation, religious grouping or social organization commits to:

• recognizing water as a human right,
• banning the sale of bottled water in their facilities,
• promoting publicly financed, owned and operated water and wastewater services.

In November 2015, the 34,000 member Swiss public service workers union VPOD became the first union to become a blue community. In September 2016, the 200,000-member Swiss trade union UNIA also became a blue community.

As noted on their website, "The Public Service Alliance of Canada represents more than 180,000 workers in every province and territory in Canada and in locations around the world. Our members work for federal government departments and agencies, Crown Corporations, universities, casinos, community services agencies, Aboriginal communities, airports, and the security sector among others."


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Re: BLUE COMMUNITIES PROJECT: Water Commons

Postby Oscar » Sat May 27, 2017 5:43 pm

Saskatoon chapter builds public support to have their city declared a blue community

[ https://canadians.org/blog/saskatoon-ch ... -community ]

May 27, 2017 - 5:49 pm

The Council of Canadians Saskatoon chapter tabled and distributed materials about our blue communities campaign at a NatureCity Festival public forum at the Roxy Theatre featuring Maude Barlow on May 25.

The outreach for the forum noted, "The keynote evening of the 2017 NatureCity Festival features an evening with Maude Barlow, renowned Canadian author, water activist, former UN Senior Advisor on water and board chair of the Council of Canadians. Join us for an inspiring evening, joined by several guests, as we explore the role of water in our prairie lives. This event is no cost, rush seating."

Barlow tells us, "I spoke about the water crisis in Canada and in Saskatchewan, highlighted the over extracted South Saskatchewan River, factory farming and the damage of its chemical laden run off, the harmful water poisoning legacy of uranium mining, clearcutting and wetland loss and of course pipeline threats such as the recent Husky spill and the waterways that Energy East would cross."

She adds, "I promoted Blue Communities and the initiative to have Saskatoon become one. Lots of great response to that!"

A blue community is a municipality that: 1- recognizes water as a human right, 2- bans the sale of bottled water in public facilities and at municipal events, 3- promotes publicly financed, owned and operated water and waste water services.

Saskatoon chapter activist Tracey Mitchell notes, "We will soon be sending a letter with this request to the City of Saskatoon Standing Policy Committee on Environment, Utilities and Corporate Services. We have also met with three of the councillors on the committee and we have been in touch with the mayor. It is our hope that the Standing Policy Committee will pass a recommendation that Council will vote in favour of the Blue Communities motions. Our plan is to present to the standing committee on June 12."

Other chapters are also working to designate eight more municipalities across the country as blue communities: Prince Albert, Brandon, Montreal, Toronto, South Shore, Charlottetown, Stratford, and St. John's.

There are now 18 blue communities in Canada - Thunder Bay, Bayfield, Tay Township, Thorold, Welland, St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Ajax, Tiny Township in Ontario, Amqui in Quebec, District of Lunenburg in Nova Scotia, and Tsal'alh, St’át’imc Territory, Comox, Cumberland, Nanaimo, North Vancouver, Victoria, Burnaby in B.C.

For more information on our blue communities campaign, please click here:
[ https://canadians.org/bluecommunities ]

Tags: chapters
[ https://canadians.org/tags/chapters ]


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Re: BLUE COMMUNITIES PROJECT: Water Commons

Postby Oscar » Thu Jun 08, 2017 10:36 am

South Shore chapter inspires first U.S. blue community!

[ https://canadians.org/blog/south-shore- ... -community ]

June 7, 2017 - 9:46 am

(PHOTO: Chapter activist Charlene Morton, Professor Bill Diamond)

The Council of Canadians South Shore chapter inspired the campaign that secured the first blue community in the United States.

Chapter activist Charlene Morton writes, "When Bill Diamond was in Nova Scotia in Summer 2016, he met with me and chapter activist Marion Ruth and was introduced to The Council of Canadians Blue Community campaign. The rest is history!"

The Daily Hampshire Gazette has reported, "[Northampton, Massachusetts] became the first so-called blue community in the U.S. when City Council passed a resolution to that effect on [June 1]."

The article highlights, "The framework for the blue community movement, which seeks to protect public water and minimize use of single-use plastic water bottles, comes from Canada. Northampton resident and University of Massachusetts marketing professor Bill Diamond stumbled upon the initiative in his research about plastic water bottles, and decided it was a good fit for the city."

Morton adds, "Congratulations Bill and the Northampton Blue Community. This encourages us to find a sister Blue Community for the first Blue Community in Atlantic Canada, Municipality of the District of Lunenburg."

For more on our blue communities campaign, please click here:
[ https://canadians.org/bluecommunities ]


Tags: chapters
[ https://canadians.org/tags/chapters ]


Brent Patterson's blog
Political Director of the Council of Canadians
[ https://canadians.org/blogs/brent-patterson ]
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Re: BLUE COMMUNITIES PROJECT: Water Commons

Postby Oscar » Fri Jun 16, 2017 9:12 am

Saskatoon Chapter Wins City Council Review of Blue Communities Resolution

[ https://canadians.org/blog/saskatoon-ch ... resolution ]

June 13, 2017 - 5:29 pm

(PHOTO: Gail Stevens from the Council's Saskatoon chapter at the CBC studios)

Congratulations to the Saskatoon chapter who was granted a review by city council staff of the proposal to make Saskatoon a blue community! This came about through the chapter presenting to city council and submitting a formal request.
[ https://apps2.saskatoon.ca/tpapp/eamm_p ... ntId=34445 ]

Becoming a blue community would mean 3 things:

1) Recognizing water as a human right;

2) Banning the sale of bottled water in public facilities and at municipal events;

3) Promoting publicly financed, owned and operated water and waste water services.

The chapter received great media coverage, including from the CBC, spreading the important message of the need to protect water.
[ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon ... -1.4156593 ]



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