

As Canadians, we tend to take our abundance of fresh water for granted. After recently reading the water-themed April issue of National Geographic, I certainly gained a new appreciation living in Canada! Perhaps a few bullet points before discussing water as an investing theme:
For investors, we believe the distressed state of fresh water resources brings opportunity. As water shortages become more common, and as water infrastructure needs to grow, more resources will likely be spent to solve the world’s pressing water problems.
The water industry is already the third-largest industry in the world—behind oil and electricity. Some research firms forecast that global water infrastructure spending could grow 6.7 percent per year until 2025.
Investing in the water industry is not a cut-and-dried exercise. There are many different approaches to water investing and each should be explored with your advisor before making any decision.
If you would like to read RBC’s in-depth report which describes the distressed state of the world’s fresh-water resources and examines some of the investment opportunities in the industry, please visit www.susangottlieb.com and click on the tab “Water, Water Everywhere, but Not a Drop to Drink.”
Lastly, we are proud to work for an organization that has such a committed approach to the global water issue. In 2007, RBC’s Blue Water Project was launched, which funds charities and non-profit research organizations that protect watersheds and provide access to safe and clean drinking water, particularly in rural communities. To date, $21 million of RBC’s $50 million grant has been committed.
Susan Gottlieb
~is a Vice President and Investment Advisor with RBC Dominion Securities Inc. Member CIPF. This article is for information purposes only.
susan.gottlieb@rbc.com
For Mom and Baby
by Julie Watson
Are you really so naive and sickeningly selfish that you wish to PROFIT from a shortage of fresh water on this earth? For every man, woman, and child that dies from thirst, you will garner one more stone of karma to carry with you to your last patch of real-estate, in a graveyard. Why don't you try and live with yourself one day?