Townhall meeting attracts capacity crowd.
from the Canadian Union of Public Employees
A capacity crowd gathered in Regina March 6 at a town hall meeting organized by CUPE and the Council of Canadians to protest city council's recent decision to issue a request for proposals for a P3 waste water treatment plant.
“There is no such thing as a water system in this world that is expendable, and the only way to protect them is to keep them in the public trust,” said Maud Barlow, national chairperson of the Council of Canadians.
Barlow highlighted some of the international experiences with privatized water systems, many resulting in high profits for shareholders, and skyrocketing rates for citizens.
"We want to say, and we will say no, because we value our water," she said. "The most important thing we can do now is to keep it in public hands, and say no to these private corporations."
Infrastructure challenges are being faced in communities across Canada, said Paul Moist, national president of CUPE.
"Regina is being forced into this P3 in order to access federal funding. Where I'm from, that is not acceptable," he said. "This is about an absence of public debate. That's not democracy."
Moist said publicly-controlled waste water treatment was a public health issue.
"There is a ton of money to be made in the public sector, and we're playing with some big players. And if this goes through, a huge chunk of the rates you pay are going to be leaving Regina," he said. "This debate isn't over."
About Canadian Union of Public Employees
With 618,000 members across Canada, CUPE represents workers in health care, education, municipalities, libraries, universities, social services, public utilities, transportation, emergency services and airlines.
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