Sun Belt Water Inc. is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

transportation company based in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...

. Sun Belt Water is better known for filing a lawsuit against Canada for $10.5 billion US over access to BC Water.

History

Sun Belt Water, Inc. was organized as a

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

C-corp in March 1990 for the purpose of responding to the invitation from the

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

government to invest in the new and emerging industry to export the BC surplus water by marine transport systems. In October 1999, the company filed a

North American Free Trade Agreement The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA ; es, Tratado de Libre Comercio de América del Norte, TLCAN; french: Accord de libre-échange nord-américain, ALÉNA) was an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States that crea ...

(NAFTA) Chapter 11 Notice of Claim and Demand for Arbitration with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (

UNCITRAL The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) ( French: ''Commission des Nations Unies pour le droit commercial international (CNUDCI)'') is a subsidiary body of the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) responsible for helping to fa ...

) against the

government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...

for a dispute regarding access to water from the province of

. The issue of water exports has a high level of political sensitivity in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and public interest groups are opposed to the issue. In 1999, Sun Belt Water. Inc. abandoned its case in Canada's

court system A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance w ...

and filed an Arbitration claim against Canada under Chapter 11 of the NAFTA claiming access of fresh water from Canada or damages of $995 million. Sun Belt Water, Inc. v. Government of Canada Sun Belt Water, Inc., a United States company, served the Government of Canada with a 'Notice of Intent to Submit a Claim to Arbitration' in November 1998. No valid claim has been filed. There is no Chapter Eleven arbitration on this matter. (link below)

References

{{reflist

External links

http://www.international.gc.ca/trade-agreements-accords-commerciaux/topics-domaines/disp-diff/sunbelt.aspx?lang=eng * www.sunbeltwater.com Company website (domain no longer valid) Companies based in Santa Barbara County, California