March demands water protection
The Idle No More movement took to the streets on Friday to voice the need to protect Alberta’s water supply just in time for the Progressive Conservatives’ policy convention this weekend.
A group of about 75 people met at Canada Place at around 11 a.m. and the crowd swelled to about 150 by the time they reached the Legislature, where a number of speakers addressed the crowd.
Drummers led the way west along Jasper Avenue and protesters followed, chanting and carrying signs with messages saying water is not for sale and no one owns the water.
A couple of cars honked in solidarity, including a man driving a Culligan water truck, and a few onlookers even joined in the march. The group made a point of pausing outside the Enbridge building. Other passersby held up their cellphones to capture the action on camera.
Over the past few months, the province held 30 water consultation sessions, 10 of which were specifically for First Nations and Métis people, said Environment Minister Diana McQueen.
In total, she heard from 1,000 Albertans on four main topics: healthy lakes, the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing, efficient water management — an issue that included debate about water licences and markets — and municipal issues, including waste water.
Nevertheless, many protesters said they feel they were not properly consulted. They’re worried about what the government is doing behind closed doors and how it will affect First Nations people.
“They were not forthcoming at all about what their plans are,” said Mary Richardson, who attended one of the consultations and Friday’s march.
One of the speakers, Melina Laboucan-Massimo, a climate energy campaigner for Greenpeace Canada, said water rights are guaranteed under treaty to First Nations people. Yet in her community in Peace River, B.C., she said her family doesn’t even have running water.
“Here in Alberta, it’s very concerning because what we’re seeing is a potential privatization of our water and the selling off of senior water licences to the oil and gas industry from farmers who’ve had these licences for a number of years,” she said.
While many also carried signs and expressed concern that the government wants to put Alberta’s water up for sale, McQueen disputed that.
“Our water is not for sale and will never be for sale to other jurisdictions now or in the future,” she said in an interview.
“We do have water licences, that’s how we do allocations, but certainly they are not for sale, we do not sell water in the province.”
However, she said municipalities may sell water to residents and to industry or businesses.
“People may apply for a water licence and may use that water and sell it for industry or for commercial purposes, but the province does not sell water to other jurisdictions,” she said.
She reiterated that water is important to everyone and the point of consulting the public was to hear their views before any policy is developed.