A Year Down The Drain

The River Styx was the barrier between Earth and the Underworld in Greek mythology. In the mid-nineteeenth century the name was also given to a small creek that ran along Hamilton's western border. The story of what happened to Styx Creek and how it became the vast, straight "drain" that slices through Broadmeadow and Hamilton North, forms the backdrop to this book. Equal parts diary, inquiry and observation, A year down the drain invites you on a journey with the author into Newcastle's watery underworld.

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.

"Since learning that one of Baa Baa Black Sheep's three bags of wool went to the Little Boy Who Lived Down the Drain, Sally has wanted to meet him. Now, at every bath time, Sally talks with the Little Boy and discovers more about her new friend. A delightfully clever new picture book about family, siblings, and friends - even the imaginary kind."--

Jane and her husband, on assignment with AID, the U.S. Agency for International Development, traveled to Pakistan in 1953 with their three children to be faced with an experience that proved to be both funny and frustrating as well as educational. In Down the Drain she outlines some of these issues with humor and empathy. Her detailed memory is enhanced by the letters that she wrote to friends in the States, three of whom saved them and gave them back to her when she returned home.

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.