Canada to the Rescue!

Hi there! Water you up to? No, I didn't misspell it. It's a play on words leading into today's topic. Never mind. Grab a mug and fill it with some freshly brewed coffee. Nudge a virtual muffin or pastry onto your plate while you're at it, eh. Now back to 'water' you up to...

In the midst of the city of Detroit's water crackdown -- shutting off the spigots of residents delinquent on their bills -- the Council of Canadians has come to the rescue. 

First, the council pressed the United Nations to label Detroit's program a "human rights" violation (the denial of clean drinking water to the 3,000 homes per week being shut down). 

Said the council chair, "I've (only) seen this (oppression) in the poorest countries in the world." Second, the council arranged a convoy of "good Canadian, public, clean water" into Detroit in July to modestly help the estimated 79,000 homes in peril. [Canadian Broadcasting Corp. News, 7-3-2014] 

About 1,000 litres of Windsor tap water will be shipped to Detroit later this month in a bid to raise awareness for what one Canadian group calls a blatant contravention of international human rights.
Members of the Council of Canadians are rounding up a posse and heading across the border on July 24 to protest the Motor City’s bold cost-saving measure that has disconnected water services to thousands of impoverished residents in the past few months.

To recoup massive overdue water bills, the bankrupt U.S. city announced in March that staff would aggressively target delinquent accounts and shut off water to anyone who did not pay. Activists have pushed back by drawing international attention to the issue, including public scrutiny from the United Nations.

Canadian protestors will take a convoy of about 12 cars to Detroit, carrying 50 five-gallon containers of water, which is the equivalent of about 2,800 personal water bottles. Bringing potable water on July 24 is not a solution to the problem, but by joining the scheduled rally that day, activists hope to send a strong message, said Doug Hayes, chairman of the Windsor-Essex chapter of the Council of Canadians.

“We’re hoping it will sort of embarrass the City of Detroit into realizing this is not the right thing to do,” he said.

Perhaps cities in general need to look for better solutions to problems such as this rather than just depriving people of basic necessities of life. Just a thought... and glad we could help. What are friends and neighbours for!

See ya, eh!

Bob