The 2013 Times Colonist article, “Wild West of groundwater: Billion-Dollar Nestle extracting B.C.’s drinking water for free”, discusses how Nestle, a multi-billion dollar corporation, is able to extract and package ground water from BC for absolutely no cost. According to the article, British Colombia has highly outdated water act which enables anyone to extract groundwater from BC without paying any fees or even having to report the amount extracted. The fact that Nestle has been able to operate unregulated has left many residents of nearby towns distraught, as Nestle is extracting water from the same supply these towns use.   According to Ed Freeman’s explanation of the Stakeholder theory, “A business that doesn’t pay attention to quality of life in the community, doesn’t pay attention to issues of corporate responsibility, of sustainability, on its effects on civil society, that’s a business that’s soon to be regulated and to decline”. It seems that Freeman is correct in his former prediction, as legislators are trying to implement new regulations that would hold Nestle and companies like it more accountable and require payment for the extraction of water. According to renowned economist Milton Freedman the sole responsibility of a company is to maximize profit for its shareholders and this is the approach Nestle appears to be taking.

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