It has been the plot of dozens of old Westerns; the evil villan rancher cuts off the water to all the poor but decent folks down in the valley. Our hero with the white hat comes to the rescue! He outdraws the black hatted villan and gets the water flowing again. He usually gets the girl, too! And everyone lives happily ever after.
That old plot is coming back to haunt us! Should the collection, transportation and distribution of water to our homes be given over to private companies?
That question is closer than you think. There are companies here in Alberta poised to do exactly that. Water systems would be owned and operated by private companies and water sold to users. Governments don't have to invest huge amounts of money to build and operate these systems. The governments don't have to worry about controlling water commissions or municipalities. On the surface it sounds like a good thing.
But private companies have to turn a profit. What will that do to the cost of water? Who will have a say in policies and procedures? The people who buy the water, or the company who sells it and its shareholders?
Other countries have tried to privatise water distribution with some pretty horrific results. I recall one ridiculous experiment where the citizens were expected to pay a levy to use the rainwater which fell on their property! I know that's a very extreme example, but it shows that these kinds of privatization projects can be easily derailed.
I personally believe that water collection, transportation and distribution must remain in the hands of the public through government run agencies. I am going to ask every candidate I meet to tell me what their party's stand is on this very important subject.
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