I understand that more than 80 per cent of the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality relating to chemical contaminants provide less protection for our public health than is applicable in other industriallized nations. On any given day, more than 1,000 boil-water advisories are in effect across Canada, many in Indigenous communities.
Closer to home, there is the ongoing issue regarding the protection of ground water for future generations in the Shawnigan Lake community – an issue that needs much more focus on the future.
Together, we must take action to protect this most fundamental necessity for life, and encourage our federal and provincial governments to introduce an environmental bill of rights that will recognize, protect and fulfil our human right to clean water.
Larry Cade
Saanich