September, 01 2010, 03:38pm EDT
Ontario Teachers' Pension Should Divest from Private Water
The Council of Canadians took the campaign for the Ontario Teachers'
Pension Plan (OTPP) to divest from private water services in Chile
directly to teachers today. The aim was to inform the 20,000 teachers
and support staff, gathered at the Air Canada Centre for a Toronto
District School Board professional development day, about the impacts of
water privatization in Chile. The Council of Canadians set up an
information station there complete with chalkboards that read "You don't
support private water. Why does your pension?"
TORONTO
The Council of Canadians took the campaign for the Ontario Teachers'
Pension Plan (OTPP) to divest from private water services in Chile
directly to teachers today. The aim was to inform the 20,000 teachers
and support staff, gathered at the Air Canada Centre for a Toronto
District School Board professional development day, about the impacts of
water privatization in Chile. The Council of Canadians set up an
information station there complete with chalkboards that read "You don't
support private water. Why does your pension?"
The OTPP owns $1.1 billion worth of private shares in Chilean water and
sanitation utilities, including 50.83% of the water utility Essbio,
69.4% of Esval, and 100% of ANSM. Teachers were asked to support the
campaign demanding that the OTPP divest from for-profit water in Chile.
"For years, Ontario teachers have been on the forefront of fighting for a
just, equitable, public and universally accessible education system for
the students of the province. Ontario teachers support the fight for
public water services in the province and teach their students about the
urgent need to support the right to water around the world," says Maude
Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and a proud
Fellow of the Ontario Teachers' Federation. "So how is it possible that
Ontario teachers are represented by a pension fund that betrays these
efforts, and supports a private water services industry in Chile that is
undermining the right to safe, clean public water in that country?"
The Chilean Organization of Consumers and Users did a review of 15,000
water bills in Chile's 6th Region and found rate increases between 100
and 200 per cent. Those who couldn't afford to pay the higher bills had
their water services cut-off. The OTPP support for water privatization
runs counter to basic principles of social justice, human rights, and
sound investment.
"There is growing concern about the privatization of water services
around the world as large, for-profit utilities move in to take over the
delivery of water and wastewater services from the public sector," adds
Council of Canadians National Water Campaigner Meera Karunananthan.
"The Council of Canadians is calling on the OTPP to begin a process to
sell its shares in stages in these companies to the Chilean government
and return to the state and its people their water rights."
Founded in 1985, the Council of Canadians is Canada's leading social action organization, mobilizing a network of 60 chapters across the country.
Office: (613) 233-4487, ext. 249LATEST NEWS
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