Consumers Demand Nestlé Reduce Canadian Water Pumping Operations

More than 140,000 consumers in Canada and across the globe are joining with the global corporate watchdog, SumOfUs.org demanding that Nestlé cut back on water pumping during drought conditions for their operations in Aberfoyle, Ontario.

Currently, Nestlé has a permit through 2017 to take about 1.1 million liters of water per day from Hillsburgh, Ontario for its bottling operations in nearby Aberfoyle—even during drought conditions while there are by-laws on water use for households. The surrounding communities, which rely on the aquifer, have by-laws to restrict its access to their own water during dry conditions in the summer.   Maude Barlow, the Council of Canadians and Ecojustice are also fighting back against Nestlé and the Ontario government office that handed out its permit asking the company to do the right thing and cut back on water pumping operations while their neighbors suffer under drought conditions.

Nestlé has been in the news a lot lately for attempting to profit from our natural resources. Last month, over 220,000 SumOfUs.org supporters signed a petition against Nestlé's effort to patent the fennel flower, a cure-all medicinal remedy for millions of people in impoverished communities across the Middle East and Asia. Several days after launching the petition, a video emerged showing Nestlé’s Chairman claiming that the idea that water is a human right comes from “extremist” NGOs and that water should have a market value. Nestlé has dealt with NGOs and lost before— the years-long boycott over Nestlé's dirty tactics to get mothers to stop breastfeeding and use baby formula—which resulted in thousands of infant deaths from water-born illnesses—was a historic success in corporate campaigning.

Source: SumOfUs.Org