BlueTriton Brands to Close Bottling Operations in Ontario after purchasing plant from Nestlé – A Historic Win for Water Justice!

Guelph, ON  - November 11, 2024 – Ontario non-profit Water Watchers (based in Wellington County) is thrilled to announce that Connecticut-based BlueTriton Brands will cease all water bottling operations in Ontario by the end of January 2025. This landmark decision to leave Ontario water bottling marks a significant victory in the ongoing battle for water justice in Ontario.

Water Watchers’ journey began in 2007 when community mobilization efforts were ignited over Nestlé's extraction of water for a bottling facility near Aberfoyle. Through extensive public campaigns and local activism, the community declared its commitment against water commodification, leading to a province-wide moratorium on bottling permits.  

In 2021, Water Watchers successfully pressured previous owner Nestlé to exit water bottling in North America through dedicated grassroots advocacy and collaboration with various NGOs across the globe. 

Nestlé's operations were sold to BlueTriton, which employed a short-term exit strategy following a leveraged buyout. As public opinion continued to coalesce against the bottled water industry, BlueTriton recognized the unsustainable nature of its operations in Ontario.

The impact of the community’s efforts has been substantial: over nine years, no water has been taken from the Middlebrook well, and with the closure of BlueTriton’s operations, even more drinking water will be protected for the common good.

As Water Watchers prepares to celebrate this monumental milestone, they assert that the fight for water justice continues. Advocacy for the phasing out of water bottling permits and the declaration of water as a human right remain their dual priority. 

Water Watchers calls for:

• A just transition for all current employees of BlueTriton.
• The return of well ownership to local, Indigenous-informed stewardship.
• Compensation for Six Nations of the Grand River for the extensive extraction without consent.
• The Province of Ontario to phase out permits for water bottling.
• Legal recognition of the human right to water in Canada.

Water Watchers urges all of Canada to view this milestone as a testament to the strength of collective action and ecological stewardship and to join them in the ongoing struggle to protect water as a shared commons.

About Water Watchers

Water Watchers is an environmental non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for equitable water management and protection. Founded in 2007, the organization has mobilized numerous campaigns to halt water extraction for profit, while promoting access to safe drinking water for all. Water Watchers empowers people & communities to work in solidarity towards social justice through the unifying lens of water. Today, Water Watchers has become a powerhouse eNGO that is a unique resource to grassroots leaders on the frontlines of water protection, as well as a humble leader in solidarity-based approaches to environmental protection, decolonization, & climate action. Our unique campaign-based approach to mobilizing public support to protect water helps communities win major victories and discover their power within the intersectional environmental movement. These campaigns bring more and more people into the movement to protect water by connecting the dots between local and systemic issues, targeting systemic change through people-power and movement-building.

18 years after our founding, we are able to finally say we have won our core campaign against corporate for-profit water takings in Wellington County, but this victory means so much more than that. It is the first step in a larger journey to end wasteful water bottling in Canada and to ensure the human right to water is upheld for all through robust public drinking water systems. 

Quotes from Water Watchers Allies

Mark Goldberg, founder of Water Watchers observed, “This is a monumental win in our community’s journey for water justice. Tireless efforts of so many committed volunteers over the past 18 years have led to this outcome.” He went on to say, "It has been a David and Goliath’ story, but proof positive that committed and sustained pressure can turn even companies as formidable as Nestlé, and now BlueTriton.” 

Arlene Slocombe, Executive Director of Water Watchers, expressed relief at the news, but noted the group's commitment to supporting employees impacted by this closure. “While we celebrate this victory, we also advocate for a just transition for those whose sustained their livelihoods through this industry," 

“We have opposed this water taking for many years. This is welcome news for our community who continue to face water insecurity in our home reserve of Six Nations,” said Dr. Dawn Martin Hill, Mohawk woman, Six Nations. “It is appalling that while we don’t all have safe drinking water in our homes, this company has been allowed to extract precious groundwater from our treaty lands and sell it back to us. Six Nations demands compensation for the years of profit from this water taking. And we never want to see those wells used for corporate profiteering ever again.”

Mary Sandy, Oneida bear clan, Clanmother stated, “The water exploitation of our treaty territory is a violation of Canadian law, no one gave consent to either Nestle or BlueTriton to extract our water while we go without.” 

“People around the world have looked to our actions as they saw us as leaders in the fight against water privatization,” remarked Mike Nagy, former Board Chair of Water Watchers. “We are grateful for the long-term support from media and community members alike who have helped sustain this movement.”