Nestlé should be obliged to cap the amount of water it draws from a well during droughts, say two non-government organizations. The Swiss food giant draws about one million litres per day from a well it owns in Hillsburgh in a farming area of the province of Ontario. The water is shipped for bottling and sale.
“We really have to start looking at how we’re abusing this resource which is a public trust,” said Mike Nagy, chair of Wellington Water Watchers, an environmental group. Nagy’s group and the Council of Canadians argue the government has a duty to protect resources, like, water, that are shared in common.
When Nestlé applied to renew its licence for the well, the government gave it a new five-year term but added two conditions that it reduce its take of water during droughts. Nestlé argued it should not be forced to comply with these conditions since no one else had to. The company did say it would comply voluntarily. The government withdrew its conditions..
The two groups have now launched an appeal. They say they are willing to fight the case all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada if necessary.
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