Dear Editor,As a concerned citizen, I attended the federal election forum held here on Tuesday night.
Focusing on the bottled water I saw on the candidates' table, I was quick to ask a question about environment concerns; the stewardship of water being paramount when — unlike Stettler – certain communities, especially First Nations, are without safe drinking water. I was disappointed that most of the candidates failed to use this as an opportunity to speak about how we can and must do better.
Economic decisions being paramount in this election, why wouldn't they talk about the commodification of this precious resource? Surely others wonder what we receive in rent or royalties from the multi-national companies who bottle Canadian water. My hunch is it's nothing in comparison to what's needed to respond to the various environmental and health impacts of bottled water (the fine print in trade deals ensuring the corporations come out ahead).
Reduce; reuse and recycle are not the only "R" words which need to be popularized by our government. There are times to promote REFUSE. "I'm not buying it" is my slogan when it comes to bottled water and many other so called conveniences.
It's Thanksgiving. Please join me in raising a glass of tap water to toast the people who hosted the forum, and the four candidates who are putting a lot of miles and energy into campaigning. While the forum helped me decide for whom to vote, it didn't alleviate my woes regarding who really has power in the world nationally and, especially internationally.
Please, citizens, be concerned, and – on October 19 – vote!
Jan Richardson