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Suitable for students in grades 4, 7, 8
This activity is intended as a follow up to the video, “Ottawa Riverkeeper – Stand Up for Your River” but may also be carried out on its own. It was developed to allow students to think critically about the many uses of their local river. Through this role-play exercise, students will discuss solutions for preserving the River, while considering various interests, including local business, industrial development, and municipal government.
Suggested time allocation: 1 period (45 minutes). Instructions for Teachers:Divide the students into 5 groups and assign each a role play scenario (numbered below). You will act as the Mayor. Read the general scenario and then ask the groups to read their own scenarios. Next, ask a member from each group to come to the front to read their part from the script below. Give the students 10-15 minutes to discuss their scenarios in their group, and develop the position they will bring to the meeting. Ask them to build a list of arguments to support their position. If possible, form desks into a U-shape before the class starts or bring chairs together and call the meeting ‘to order’. One-by-one, ask each group to outline their position. After each group has had a turn, the Mayor can ask questions about group or individual interests to expand the discussion further (see below). Each group will have a final chance to summarize their thoughts. Try to see if the group can reach a consensus on how the town should proceed. Students may write a journal entry or a summary to reflect on the exercise.
General Scenario – Something Stinks In AquavilleAquaville has a population of 12,000 and is located in on the shores of the Ottawa River. In the past year, there have been numerous reports of children becoming sick from swimming at the beach. An investigation has revealed that there is a problem with the town sewer system and raw sewage is leaking into the River. The River is the lifeblood of this community – it is the towns primary source of drinking water and is important for recreation, industry and tourism. Taxes are already high in Aquaville, and some residents aren’t happy about the idea of paying more to fix the problem. Others are concerned about the safety of their drinking water, and are upset that the River is not suitable for swimming. Local business owners are worried that the water quality will impact their businesses. The Mayor has announced a consultation meeting to bring townspeople and stakeholders together, to decide what to do about the sewage infrastructure problem. The mayor is looking for input and ideas from anyone in the community. What will you contribute to this meeting?
Role-Play Group Scenarios:Group 1: You are a member of town council and are aware of the potential problems with raising taxes. A tax increase could mean you lose your position in the next election. You are also concerned that the City is polluting the River. If you vote for fixing the problem, how will you do it without increasing taxes? Bring a solution to the Mayor’s meeting.
Group 2: You run a kayaking school, which employs five local instructors and six summer students. Your business attracts both tourists and locals and is well-respected in the community. Your livelihood is dependent on the River and you feel very protective of it. When you heard about the sewage leak, you were very concerned. You aren’t keen about paying more tax, but the River is your priority. Tell your Mayor why this River is important to your business and why your business is important to the town.
Group 3: You are the Ottawa Riverkeeper. When news about the sewage leak in Aquaville was reported, you received dozens of phone calls from concerned citizens, both in Aquaville and further downstream in neighbouring communities. They are not only concerned about their own health, but the potential impact on aquatic life as well. You come to the meeting representing the concerned citizens (human and otherwise) of the waterway.
Group 4: You are the mother (or father) of three children and are just making ends meet financially. You voted for the Mayor because he promised not to increase taxes this year. While you are concerned about the environment, water quality problems have only been reported at one beach, and it is downstream from where your children play. You are aware that in recent years Aquaville has been struggling to cover the budgeting costs for things such as roads, city buildings, and the municipal sewage system. You think the latest sewage issue is just going to make the economic situation worse.
Group 5: You are an investor who wants to develop a pop bottling plant somewhere along the Ottawa River. You need to put the business near the River because manufacturing requires a lot of clean, fresh water. You have been speaking with the Mayor of Aquaville about putting the business on the outskirts of town. Although no decisions have been made, you have told the mayor that you have a good reputation of helping communities, by donating money to various local initiatives. For example, in Wavetown, where you built a chocolate factory, you created 150 new jobs and donated $1 million towards a new community centre. You would really like to settle in Aquaville (your grandmother lives here) but you need clean water and will not invest your money here if the sewer problems are not fixed. You need to help the Mayor realize how important your business, and clean water, are to the town.
Town Hall Script:Mayor: We called everyone here tonight to discuss a very important issue here in Aquaville. I care very much for this town and the well being of its residents. As you know, this town relies very heavily on the Ottawa River for many of its needs. A recent leak from the sewage treatment plant has caused one resident to become ill. The sewage treatment plant needs to be repaired before any more damage is done.
Sewage Plant Manager: You know, Mayor, that the plant is operating on a deficit budget. Our only options are to fix the plant or lay off employees. This town doesn’t have many opportunities for employment and our employees have families to feed.
Riverkeeper: If the plant keeps dumping sewage into the river, our families aren’t going to have clean drinking water. One boy has already become ill. How many more will have to suffer before something is done?
Kayak Instructor: Not only is the river used for drinking water, but it’s used for recreational and tourism too. Would you like to be kayaking in a river that is polluted with raw sewage? I am going to have to hand out nose plugs and rubber gloves to my customers.
Mayor: Yes, something needs to be done. I don’t want people to lose their jobs, get sick or not enjoy the beauty of the river. I can’t raise property taxes again. People just can’t afford that. How are we going to fix this problem?