Get active for World Water Day

Feb 22, 2010 09:51 AM

Across Canada and around the world, water activists are mobilizing to mark March 22, World Water Day. It’s an opportunity for CUPE members to re-energize their work protecting public water systems and community water resources.

All CUPE members can get active on water issues in their communities. Here are a few ideas:

Connect with local partners like the Council of Canadians and Polaris Institute to initiate or help support activities. You can also take the Council’s tap water pledge and add a photo to their online gallery.
If you’re on a college or university campus, get involved in the Polaris Institute’s Bottled Water Free Day campaign. And wherever you work and live, say “no” to bottled water and take back your tap.
Watch for CUPE’s federal budget analysis on March 4. As the federal stimulus funding enters its final phase, the Conservative government may return to the P3 push in its Building Canada Fund. Be ready to help CUPE press for stable, long-term water infrastructure funding, with a particular focus on the needs of First Nations communities.
Go on privatization alert in your community. Be on the lookout for the early warning signs of water privatization.

For more background on the state of Canada’s water, listen to the podcasts from last fall’s Blue Summit, and visit cupe.ca/water