Terra Informa dives in to the deep end of the murky world of water

Program Title: Terra Informa - Season 8, Episode 30 - Water World
Description: Most people take safe drinking water for granted; but just how clean is our municipal water? Modern water purification does a great job of removing viruses and bacteria, but now concerns are starting to surface about a different type of contamination. Increasingly, trace amounts of pharmaceuticals are being found in water. Our correspondent Steve Andersen talked to water expert Dr. Greg Goss to learn more about the risks and what we can do to reduce them.

One of the most prominent environmental issues in Canada is development of the oil sands. Oil sands extraction requires large quantities of water which has generated much controversy, and plenty of films and documentaries also. A new addition on this topic is “White Water, Black Gold.” Terra Informa correspondent Dana Harper reviewed this latest effort to shed some light on the debate of water versus oil.

The Federal Government released its budget last week, but the document was soon put to one side after opposition parties forced a vote of no confidence in the parliament. So Canada heads to the polls but in the meantime, an Ottawa think tank has released what they call Canada’s Alternative Federal Budget. It contains their ideas of how society and the environment can be improved, and is divided into some key themes. This week’s show is dedicated to water issues, so we had a close look at the Water Chapter which was authored by the Council of Canadians. To help us understand the ideas the alternative budget contains, Terra Informa correspondent David Kaczan spoke to the Council of Canadian’s National Water Campaigner, Emma Lui.

Host(s): Anna MacLeod
Featured Speakers/Guests: Dr. Greg Goss - Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta; Emma Lui - National Water Campaigner, Council of Canadians; David Lavallee - director, "White Water, Black Gold"

Credits: Producer: Michael Kingsley McNicoll

Contributors: Steve Andersen, Rebekah Rooney, Jason Evans, Dana Harper, David Kaczan, Myles Curry

Comments: Terra Informa can be reached by emailing terra@cjsr.com.