I was raised in a house in Grimsby that backed onto an orchard... and that orchard probably killed one of my neighbours

Hi, there. My name is Wilma Snippe, and I grew up with an orchard in my backyard in Grimsby, on Pinewood Ave. When the farmer would put his gas mask on to orchard spray the noxious grey clouds over the apples, my mom would call us in from the orchard, but as soon as he was done, we were back out in it, playing in the grey mist and wet grass he left behind. Bizarre now when you think of it!

As a teenager in the 1970’s, I baby-sat for a young family down the street. The father developed cancer. He had his own little garden for vegetables but the farmer coated it with his orchard spray when driving by on his tractor. One night, as the father walked me home from babysitting, he told me that he was dying. He was in his early thirties. He was absolutely convinced it was the orchard spray. Right then and there, he made me promise to avoid all chemicals- in my food and in the air.

I was wide eyed and afraid. No one I knew or was close to had died. And then he did die. That conversation burned into me and I have since committed my life (as much as possible) to living chemical free.

We’ve raised our four kids on our own organic garden – going strong now since 1987. No spray or synthetic chemicals - ever!

It was natural for us to search for pure water as well. When we couldn’t find a company that could produce pure water affordably for families, we did the research and began H2Only in 1994. We started small- our concern was for our children and friends.

We had no idea that we would grow to where we are today, serving industries, hospitals, a university, as well as so many homes across the Niagara Peninsula. It is exciting for us to know that so many people are drinking pure water.

We can’t tell you how to make any other healthy decisions for your life, but this is the huge one.

…and that’s my back story!