Water in Canada

Water... Canada has a lot of it. So much some people think we should sell it. Canada has more freshwater Than any state in the world. Of Canada's 9 984 670 km2, 891 163km2 is water.

Canada has an uncountable amount of lakes. Some are huge, such as the Great Lakes we share with the United States: Huron, Superior, Ontario, Erie. Of course the US has more of these lakes than we do but we've go plenty of great Lakes such as the Great Bear Lake, Great Slave Lake, Lake Winnipeg, and the Lake Athabasca which rank in the top ten lakes of Canada. Northern Ontario's landscape is often described as "trees and water". Quebec is the leader of water of all the province followed by Ontario.

This large quantity of water may be a good thing to have since water isn't in infinite quantities as we assume it is. Sure, three thirds of the earth is water, but its mostly salt water. Places like California (which has a bigger population than Canada's) are apparently running out of water.

Unless, that is, the water is unsafe to drink. What good is all this water, that can save lives, if it is not safe enough to drink. All Canadians, especially Ontarians, felt they had nothing to fear: water is treated and purified. What if that doesn't work? Then we get Walkerton.

Last week, the Walkerton E Coli outbreak was declared over. There have been no new cases reported since early June but it is still demanded that people boil water until they are completely sure about the water again.

The E Coli crisis had begun in May when thousands of people from the town of Walkerton, Ontario, have been sickened. Walkerton is a town of 5,000. of these 5,000 individuals, at least seven have died as a result of the bacteria and 16 more deaths are being investigated, over 2,000 people have gotten sick with 195 people confirmed E Coli infections.

The questions that were asked since May, were who is to blame? How could this have been avoided? Is it the Government's fault? Possibly, it is in charge of the water treatment or at least it should be. Apparently, in 1997, Dr. Alex Hukowich wrote to his MPP that there was danger of contamination in the waters near the Haliburtons and that other communities are at risk of contamination, that rural water was not safe. Nothing was done. Of course, Harris says, something was done. How it could be avoided? Money! More money into water treatment. Of course that means taxes... something the Tories aren't ready to do. Oh yeah and making the government do the tests and purify the water, not the private sector.

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