by Vanessa Pollard, originally published on March 24, 2016

LETTER – Those of us lucky enough to live on beautiful Georgian Bay are reminded each day of the significance of having access to clean water.

This is the water we fish in, boat in, and teach our children and grandchildren to swim in. It is important to us that it be unpolluted, and that it stay that way for future generations.

We sometimes forget to apply this ideology to our tap water. We sometimes overlook the news stories that alert us to potential problems. We can’t afford to do that anymore.

Canada has let its environmental protection slip in the past few years, and we are vulnerable to losing the resources that we depend on for our survival. We need legally enforceable quality standards for drinking water in Canada.

It’s time for the federal government to implement the right to clean water in Canada by passing an environmental bill of rights that protects our right to a healthy environment, including the right to clean water.