An incisive critique of Canada’s drinking water gatekeepers.

Canada is celebrated for its abundance of fresh water, and few Canadians question the safety of the water that comes from our taps. But is this trust justified? One study estimates that contamination of drinking water causes 90,000 cases of illness and ninety deaths every year.

In this authoritative review of decades of legislation, research, and independent regulatory critiques, accompanied by riveting stories of the many failures of our water supply, award-winning journalist Chris Wood and Canadian water policy expert Ralph Pentland expose how governments at every level have failed to protect our drinking water.

The authors review the history of water management in Canada and approaches to the problem in Europe and the United States, then analyze our own approach in recent times, and finally propose a strategy to protect our water—including a new charter that will hold our government to account.

Chris Wood has worked as a full-time journalist, mainly in magazines, for over thirty years, with stories featured in Maclean's, the CBC, the Globe & Mail, and most recently, The Tyee, The Walrus and Reader's Digest Canada. Wood's most recent book, Dry Spring:The Coming Water Crisis of North America, published in April 2008, has been called arresting, vivid, provocative, and, a great read by reviewers and media. He is the author of six other books, including an award-winning Young Adult Fiction series with my wife, Beverley Wood. He lives in Ladysmith, British Columbia.

Chris Wood's profile page

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Ralph Pentland is acting chair of the Canadian Water Issues Council at the University of Toronto, and a member of the Forum for Leadership on Water.

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Ralph Pentland's profile page