WORLD WATER DAY22nd March 2018

POLL EMBARGOED UNTIL 22ND MARCH 2018, 6 AM EST

METHODOLOGYThe analysis in this report is based on results of a survey that was conducted between March 17th to March 18th, 2018 among a sample of 2003 adults, 18 years of age or older, living in Ontario. The survey was conducted using automated telephone interviews (Smart IVR). Respondents were interviews on landlines and cellular phones.

The margin of error for this survey is +/- 2.23% and is accurate 19 times out of 20.

(full methodology appears at the end of this report)

ABOUT MAINSTREETWith 20 years of political experience in all three levels of government, President and CEO Quito Maggi is a respected commentator on international public affairs.

Differentiated by its large sample sizes, Mainstreet Research has provided accurate snapshots of public opinion, having predicted a majority NDP government in Alberta, and was the only polling firm to correctly predict a Liberal majority government in the 2015 federal election. Mainstreet Research is a member of the World Association for Public Opinion Research and meets international and Canadian publication standards.

FOR ADDITIONAL SURVEY INFORMATION:In Toronto:Dr. Joseph Angolano, Vice Presidentjoseph@mainstreetresearch.ca

ABOUT WELLINGTON WATCHERSWellington Water Watchers is a non-profit organization founded in 2007 primarily run by volunteer citizens in Guelph-Wellington who are committed to the protection of local water and to educating the public about threats to the watershed.

Wellington Water Watchers is committed to preservation, not just conservation of water resources. This means applying the precautionary principle to prove no harm, beyond doubt, when engaged in projects that could be harmful to our water resources.

We promote tap water as a healthy and environmentally preferable alternative to packaged water. Wellington Water Watchers seeks constructive engagement with those who affect local water policy, and accountability from corporations.

ABOUT SUM OF USCanada Society is a digital consumer watchdog with a community of 1.5 million Canadians holding corporations accountable for their actions and forging a new, sustainable and just path for the Canadian and global economy.

From polluting the environment to dodging taxes – when left unchecked, corporations don’t let anything stand in the way of bigger profits. The biggest corporations in the world rely on ordinary people to keep them in business. We are their customers, their employees, and often their investors. When we act together, we can be more powerful than they are.

New Poll: Ahead of 2018 Provincial Elections, Ontarians Want to Protect Ontario’s Water From Bottled Water Industry

On World Water Day, SumOfUs Canada Society and Wellington Water Watchers Call on Premier Kathleen Wynne to Protect Ontario’s Water from Nestlé Extraction 22 MARCH 2018 (TORONTO, ON)—A new poll commissioned by Wellington Water Watchers and SumOfUs Canada Society on World Water Day finds that 64% of Ontarians, across party lines, support phasing out bottled water extraction in the province of Ontario within 10 years. Of those, the great majority support a phase out within two years (52%). The Mainstreet Research poll has a sample of more than 2,000 Ontario residents – which SumOfUs Canada Society and Wellington Water Watchers argue is indicative of the strength of public support for a permanent phase-out of permits for bottled water extraction in Ontario.

Respondents who want to see the permits phased out in Ontario mostly cited the negative environmental impact of water extraction as the most important reason for why they do not want to see the permits renewed, and 64.3% of all respondents do not think that private corporations should have the right to control access to groundwater. Wellington Watchers and SumOfUs Canada Society are urging Premier Kathleen Wynne to commit to phasing out water bottling in Ontario. A petition from SumOfUs with over 62,000 Canadian signatures—of which over 20,000 are Ontario residents—is demanding Premier Kathleen Wynne phase out bottled water permits. VIEW THE SUMOFUS PETITION HERE: https://actions.sumofus.org/a/premier-wynne-phase-out-bottled-water-permits-now World Water Day is held annually on 22 March and is sponsored by the United Nations as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

Wellington Water Watchers Board Member Rob Case said: “Leaders of all the political parties on Ontario should take seriously the message that a majority of people polled in Ontario think that permits to take water for bottling should be phased out in the next two years. Also, because 55% of people polled are likely to vote for a party that promises to stop Nestlé and other companies from bottling water in Ontario – political candidates would be smart to get in front of this wave.” Arlene Slocombe, Wellington Water Watchers Executive Director, explained: “We have learned through engagement with thousands of people during our campaigning that protecting water from water bottling corporations like Nestlé is a bottom line issue for people. They tell us water is life and they will act to protect it. Political leaders who commit to phase out permits to bottle water in Ontario can win the support of the two-thirds of the people polled, across all political parties, who believe that corporate profiteering off our precious water is no longer acceptable.” Emma Pullman, Campaign Manager with SumOfUs, also said:“These poll results prove that Ontarians want corporations like Nestlé to back off of our precious, limited water resources. These finding should be a strong warning to 2018 provincial election candidates that voters want action on water-taking in Ontario without delay. The time to act on Nestlé and other water bottlers is now, and we hope to see water protection commitments across all party platforms.”

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For more information, or for interview with a SumOfUs or Wellington Water Watchers spokesperson, please contact Yasmina Dardari at +1 407-922-8149 or by email at yasmina@unbendablemedia.com.

Do you think that the permits of bottled water taking should be phased out in Ontario?

An overwhelming majority of Ontarians want to see water taking permits phased out, with over 50% saying that want them phased out over the next two years. This contrast sharply with 14.3% of Ontarians that do not want to see them phased out. A total of 64% of Ontarians want to see the permits phased out between two to ten years, which is virtually unchanged from the 65.2% that did not want to see the permits renewed when Mainstreet polled this issue last year.

There is no significant difference between genders and ages in terms of support for phasing out of permits, however agreement is strongest among respondents between the ages of 50 and 64 and those over the age of 65.

Residents in all regions in Ontario strongly do not want to see the permits renewed, with opposition strongest in Northern Ontario (70.5%), and weakest in Toronto (61.2%). All party supporters want to see the permits phased out, with Green Party supporters are most strongly opposed (77.3%). Progressive Conservative supporters are the least likely to support a phase out, but nonetheless, 60.3% of them oppose renewing the permits.

Why do you think that the permits for groundwater taking that Nestlé and other water taking companies have should not be

renewed?

Respondents who want to see the permits phased out in Ontario mostly cited the negative environmental impact of water taking as the most important reason for why they do not want to see the permits renewed. 41.3% of respondents said that the negative environmental impact was their most important reason, which is an increase from 33% in last year’s survey. Another change from last year’s survey is that the negative environmental impact of water taking is the most frequent response among both genders, all age groups, all regions in Ontario, and all party supporters.

22.6% said that they do not want to see water treated as a commodity, equalling the amount of Ontarians that said that they were concerned about the excessive waste from plastic water bottles. 8% of Ontarians said that they believe bottled water undermines the perception that tap water is not safe.

How likely are you to vote for a party that promises to stop Nestlé and other companies from bottling

Ontario water?

A total of 78.7% of decided respondents said that they are at least somewhat likely to vote for a party that promises to stop Nestlé and other companies from bottling Ontario water. Again, there is virtually no difference between genders on this issue, and older respondents (in the 50-64 and 64+ age groups) said that they were most likely to vote for a party that would tackle this issue compared to respondents in younger age groups.

A strong majority of respondents in every region said that were likely to vote for a party that would stop private companies from bottling water, with respondents in Eastern Ontario showing the strongest indication to vote on this issue, and those in the Greater Toronto Area being the least likely. The same applies to all party supporters, with the likelihood to vote for a party that promises to stop bottling water especially strong among NDP and Green Party supporters, but weakest among PC supporters.

Do you agree that private corporations should have the right to control access to groundwater?

64.3% of all respondents do not think that private corporations should have the right to control access to groundwater. Men are 5.6% more likely to oppose corporations’ water taking than women. We also find that the younger the respondent is, the more likely they are think that private companies should not have the right to take Ontario water. A majority of residents in every region in Ontario do not think that private companies should have the right to bottle Ontario water. Sentiment is strongest in Toronto and weakest in Northern Ontario.

Do you think that the permits of bottled water taking should be phased out in Ontario?

Breakouts

Why do you think that the permits for groundwater taking that Nestlé and other water taking companies have should not be renewed?

How likely are you to vote for a party that promises to stop Nestlé and other companies from bottling Ontario water?

Do you agree that private corporations should have the right to control access to groundwater?

Do you think that the permits of bottled water taking should be phased out in

Ontario?The permits should be phased out over two

yearsThe permits should be phased out over the

next three to five yearsThe permits should be phased out over the

next six to ten yearsThe permits should not be phased out

Not Sure

Which party are you leaning towards? (only asked to respondents who said they were undecided in the previous question)Concern about the negative environmental

impact of excessive water taking Concern about the excessive waste from

plastic water bottles Bottled water undermines the perception

that tap water is safe Disapprove of water being treated as a

commodityNot Sure

How likely are you to vote for a party

that promises to stop Nestle and other companies from bottling Ontario water?

Very LikelySomewhat Likely

Somewhat UnlikelyVery Unlikely

Not Sure

Do you agree that private corporations should have the right to control access to

groundwater?Strongly Agree

Somewhat AgreeSomewhat DisagreeStrongly Disagree

Not Sure

What is your gender?Male

Female

What is your age group?Under 18 years of age18 to 34 years of age35 to 49 years of age50 to 64 years of age

65 years of age or older

QUESTIONNAIRE

The analysis in this report is based on results of a survey conducted between March 17th and March 18th, 2018, among a sample of 2003 adults, 18 years of age or older, living in Ontario. The survey was conducted using Interactive Voice Recording. Respondents were interviews on both landlines and cellular phones. The survey is intended to represent the voting population of Ontario.

The survey was conducted by Mainstreet Research and was sponsored by Project of the Water for Life, Not Profit Campaign, a partnership of: SumOfUs Canada Society and Wellington Water Watchers.

The sampling frame was derived from both a national telephone directory compiled by Mainstreet Research from various sources and random digit dialing. The survey that dialed from the directory was conducted as a stratified dial of the following regions: Toronto (also known as the 416 region), the Greater Toronto Area (also known as the 905 region), South Central Ontario, Southwestern Ontario, Eastern Ontario, and Northern Ontario. In the case of random digit dials, respondents were asked the additional question of what region of the province they resided in. In both cases, respondents were dialed at random.

At least two attempts were made to complete an interview at every sampled telephone number. The calls were staggered over times of day and two days to maximize the chances of making contact with a potential respondent. Interviewing was also spread as evenly as possible across the field period.

The questionnaire used in this survey is available in this report and online at www.mainstreetresearch.ca. Questions are asked as they appear in the release document. If a question is asked of a subset of the sample a descriptive note is added in parenthesis preceding the question.

The sample was weighted by population parameters from the Canada 2016 Census for adults 18 years of age or older in Canada. The population parameters used for weighting are age, gender, and region.

The margin of error for this poll is +/- 2.19% at the 95% confidence level. Margins of error are higher in each subsample.

The margins of error for each subsample is as following: Males: +/- 2.94%, Females: +/- 3.28%, 18-34 age group: +/- 5.83%, 35-49 age group: +/- 4.76%, 50-64 age group: +/- 3.88%, 65+ age group: +/- 3.82%, Toronto: +/- 4.63%, Greater Toronto Area: +/- 4.31%, South Central Ontario: +/- 7.07%, Southwestern Ontario: +/- 4.94%, Eastern Ontario: +/- 6.2%, Northern Ontario: +/- 6.88%

In addition to sampling error, one should bear in mind that the wording of questions and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of opinion polls.

Methodology