Dozens of activists gathered yesterday at Memorial Park in Winnipeg for Water Wednesday.
The event organized by First Nations activists along with the MGEU was part of a nine-week project aimed at drawing attention to the federal government’s reckless stewardship of water resources and the threats currently facing Lake Winnipeg.
“One of the most fundamental of human rights is the right to clean and accessible water sources,” MGEU President Michelle Gawronsky told the crowd. “Unfortunately, fair treatment on the job, and fair access to water, are still things we need to fight for.”
The MGEU’s stand on saving our “great lake for our great-grandkids” began years ago when the union decided to sponsor an annual scholarship with the Lake Winnipeg Research Consortium.
Recently, the Global Nature Fund named Lake Winnipeg “the world’s most threatened lake of 2013,” largely due to the lake’s growing algae issues created by the high levels of phosphorus that drain from the Red River Valley into Lake Winnipeg.
Gawronsky hopes yesterday’s gathering will be one more way to spread the word about the plight of the world’s tenth largest freshwater lake. She urged MGEU members and all Manitobans to learn more about the lake’s challenges and potential solutions at www.lakewinnipegresearch.org.
“As a member-led, not-for-profit
organization, the MGEU is proud to have been part of this province for nearly a
hundred years. We plan to be around in another hundred years, and want our
fresh water to survive and thrive along with us!”