Water use and abuse

On May 28th, the Whitehorse Chapter of the Council of Canadians, along with sponsor PSAC (Public Service Alliance of Canada) North, held a panel discussion to examine the impact of trade agreements and industry on the access of local communities to clean water sources. Bill Slater -- an environmental consultant in Whitehorse -- was one of its featured speakers. He has worked with the Yukon First Nations, federal governments, private companies and NGOs on projects dealing with water management, mining and infrastructure development throughout the territory. Slater's portion of the panel brought a local context to the discussion, looking at how governments regulate water -- especially for industrial purposes -- and whether this reflects a "commons" or "commodity" approach to water issues.