resource

Thursday August 25, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Thursday August 25, 2016 New permit for Nestle water-taking at low rate 'inappropriate': Wynne Bottled water companies in Ontario may soon have to pay more and take less water as public outcry over revelations that the province charges them just $3.71 for every million litres triggered a government review. There is a difference between taking water for agricultural or industrial use and taking it to sell bottled water, Premier Kathleen Wynne said Wednesday. Some of the conditions of the permits for bottled water use are outdated, she said. "There's the issue of the quantity of water that's taken, there's the issue of the cost of that water," Wynne said. "Also, there's an issue around the timing. As we all know, it's been a dry summer and so I think we need to look at what are the right triggers in place in terms of quantities that are allowable given the conditions.Ó Wynne has asked Environment Minister Glen Murray to review permit conditions for bottled water companies. It will look at whether there is a sufficient price on removing water, he said. "I think for some of the folks that are removing it and taking it away, that they got a really sweet deal," he said. "Maybe too sweet a deal.Ó Environmental group Wellington Water Watchers is urging Ontario not to renew a permit for Nestle Waters in Aberfoyle, Ont., that expired on July 31. It's upset that the company has been allowed to keep extracting water from a local well in the midst of a severe drought in the province. A water-taking permit remains in force if a renewal application is made at least 90 days before it expires. "Quite frankly, that window gives us an opportunity to look at what should change, rather than issuing a new permit under the same parameters as the former permit, which I think would not be appropriate," Wynne said. Times have changed, she said. "Thirty years ago, we wouldn't have envisioned an industry that took water a

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday August 25, 2016

New permit for Nestle water-taking at low rate ‘inappropriate’: Wynne

Bottled water companies in Ontario may soon have to pay more and take less water as public outcry over revelations that the province charges them just $3.71 for every million litres triggered a government review.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Thursday June 23, 2016 Waukesha, Wis., plan to tap into Lake Michigan called 'wrong decision' Leamington, Ont., Mayor John Paterson is irate after a group of eight U.S. governors voted Tuesday to allow a small Wisconsin town to draw its drinking water from Lake Michigan. A panel representing governors of the eight states adjoining the Great Lakes unanimously approved a proposal from Waukesha, Wis., which is under a court order to find a solution to radium contamination of its groundwater wells. The city says the project will cost $265 million Cdn for engineering studies, pipelines and other infrastructure.Waukesha is only 27 kilometres from the lake but just outside the Great Lakes watershed. That required the city of about 72,000 to get special permission under the compact, which prohibits most diversions of water across the watershed boundary. Paterson immediately took to Twitter to denounce the decision. His peninsula town, the self-proclaimed Tomato Capital of Canada and home to hundreds of greenhouses, is surrounded by Lake Erie. "This should not be allowed," Paterson told CBC News. "I'm really disappointed it happened. That was unexpected. I actually thought the governor of Michigan was going to side with us. He even bailed.Ó The Michigan Senate adopted a resolution last month opposing Waukesha's request. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder went against that and voted in favour of Waukesha's plan Tuesday. A 2008 pact established a potential exception for communities within counties that straddle the line. Waukesha is the first to request water under that provision. "There are a lot of emotions and politics surrounding this issue, but voting yes Ñ in co-operation with our Great Lakes neighbours Ñ is the best way to conserve one of our greatest natural resources," Snyder said. Snyder also took to social media, to defend his decision.(Source: CBC News) Canada, USA, United States, Great Lakes, water, di

June 23, 2016

There is a difference between taking water for agricultural or industrial use and taking it to sell bottled water, Premier Kathleen Wynne said Wednesday. Some of the conditions of the permits for bottled water use are outdated, she said.

“There’s the issue of the quantity of water that’s taken, there’s the issue of the cost of that water,” Wynne said.

“Also, there’s an issue around the timing. As we all know, it’s been a dry summer and so I think we need to look at what are the right triggers in place in terms of quantities that are allowable given the conditions.”

Wynne has asked Environment Minister Glen Murray to review permit conditions for bottled water companies. It will look at whether there is a sufficient price on removing water, he said.

“I think for some of the folks that are removing it and taking it away, that they got a really sweet deal,” he said. “Maybe too sweet a deal.”

Environmental group Wellington Water Watchers is urging Ontario not to renew a permit for Nestle Waters in Aberfoyle, Ont., that expired on July 31. It’s upset that the company has been allowed to keep extracting water from a local well in the midst of a severe drought in the province.

A water-taking permit remains in force if a renewal application is made at least 90 days before it expires.

“Quite frankly, that window gives us an opportunity to look at what should change, rather than issuing a new permit under the same parameters as the former permit, which I think would not be appropriate,” Wynne said.

Times have changed, she said.

“Thirty years ago, we wouldn’t have envisioned an industry that took water and put it in plastic bottles so that people could carry it around,” Wynne said.

“I mean, we didn’t drink water from plastic bottles 30 years ago. We turned on the tap and the fact is our tap water in Ontario is among the best in the world.”

Nestle Canada has two permits to take up to 4.7 million litres of water every day for bottling. Other bottled water companies with large water-taking permits in Ontario include Gold Mountain Springs, Gott Enterprises and St. Joseph Natural Spring Water. (Source: CTV News)

2016-08-25tearsheet

 

Thursday May 25, 2006

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Thursday May 25, 2006 Ethanol: Viable fuel option or green pipe dream? As rising oil prices have motorists paying a premium at the gas pumps, consumers are beginning to wonder when it will all end, and where the solution lies.The answer could be contained in ethanol, a bio-fuel that the government is increasingly touting as the renewable resource of choice that will also help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The provinces and the federal government recently joined forces and announced a plan to boost the amount of ethanol mixed into all Canadian gasoline to five per cent by 2010, up from the current one per cent requirement. Following a meeting in Regina, Environment Minister Rona Ambrose praised the initiative as an important milestone for Canada, and said the provinces showed a "successful will to move forward" on ethanol benchmarks for gasoline. "It's an ambitious target but we've done a lot of work in the last few months with the energy minister and agriculture minister, and feel very strongly it's a reachable target," Ambrose told CTV's Canada AM. "It's time we think Canada start to play in the new economy, and we give opportunities for our agricultural sector and for Canadians to start participating in this kind of environmental challenge." Source (CTV News) Canada, Environment, Ethanol, Kyoto, protocol, Rona Ambrose, renewable, resource, climate change

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday May 25, 2006

Ethanol: Viable fuel option or green pipe dream?

As rising oil prices have motorists paying a premium at the gas pumps, consumers are beginning to wonder when it will all end, and where the solution lies.The answer could be contained in ethanol, a bio-fuel that the government is increasingly touting as the renewable resource of choice that will also help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The provinces and the federal government recently joined forces and announced a plan to boost the amount of ethanol mixed into all Canadian gasoline to five per cent by 2010, up from the current one per cent requirement.

Following a meeting in Regina, Environment Minister Rona Ambrose praised the initiative as an important milestone for Canada, and said the provinces showed a “successful will to move forward” on ethanol benchmarks for gasoline.

“It’s an ambitious target but we’ve done a lot of work in the last few months with the energy minister and agriculture minister, and feel very strongly it’s a reachable target,” Ambrose told CTV’s Canada AM.

“It’s time we think Canada start to play in the new economy, and we give opportunities for our agricultural sector and for Canadians to start participating in this kind of environmental challenge.” Source (CTV News)

 

Friday October 14, 2005

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Friday October 14, 2005 Alberta to spend $10-million to hand out cheques It is no longer called the "prosperity bonus," but Albertans finally learned yesterday how the provincial government plans to dole out at least $1.4-billion in dividend cheques. Many have been eagerly awaiting the details since Premier Ralph Klein announced in September that a plan was in the works to give all residents, including the homeless, a small slice of the province's ballooning unbudgeted surplus. Fuelled by oil and natural-gas royalties, the surplus could be as high as $8.8-billion this year, Mr. Klein said recently.Ê But the one-time dividend, which government officials now call a "resource rebate," has not been free of controversy. There has been criticism that the money could be better spent -- for example, on eliminating health-care premiums -- and that the $400 cheques may promote national envy of the province's wealth. "I don't know where that comes from," Finance Minister Shirley McClellan told reporters yesterday. The program is expected to cost $10-million to administer. (Source: Globe & Mail)Êhttp://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/alberta-to-spend-10-million-to-hand-out-cheques/article18249998/ Canada, Premiers, first ministers, federalism, oil, resource, wealth, Ralph Klein, Alberta

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday October 14, 2005

Alberta to spend $10-million to hand out cheques

It is no longer called the “prosperity bonus,” but Albertans finally learned yesterday how the provincial government plans to dole out at least $1.4-billion in dividend cheques.

Many have been eagerly awaiting the details since Premier Ralph Klein announced in September that a plan was in the works to give all residents, including the homeless, a small slice of the province’s ballooning unbudgeted surplus.

Fuelled by oil and natural-gas royalties, the surplus could be as high as $8.8-billion this year, Mr. Klein said recently.

But the one-time dividend, which government officials now call a “resource rebate,” has not been free of controversy.

There has been criticism that the money could be better spent — for example, on eliminating health-care premiums — and that the $400 cheques may promote national envy of the province’s wealth.

“I don’t know where that comes from,” Finance Minister Shirley McClellan told reporters yesterday.

The program is expected to cost $10-million to administer. (Source: Globe & Mail)