MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 20, 2008

Bottled Water Losing Steam
Council of Canadians commends London and Kitchener City Councils for banning the bottle

Ottawa – The Council of Canadians is congratulating the Ontario cities of London and Kitchener for approving plans this week to ban the sale of bottled water on city property. The Council of Canadians welcomes these local victories as important steps toward a national water policy that would improve the public system and ensure clean drinking water standards for all communities across the country.

“The Council of Canadians believes water is a human right and should be guaranteed to all people regardless of their ability to pay,” says Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians. “In Canada, we are not immune to the growing threats of water scarcity. Twenty per cent of municipalities have faced shortages in recent years. Bottled water production places undue stress on increasingly scarce water resources.”

“The bottled water industry has worked hard to undermine our faith in public water, despite Canada having one of the best public drinking water systems in the world,” says Meera Karunananthan, National Water Campaigner for the Council of Canadians. “In an era when the world is dealing with the impacts of climate change, the bottled water industry requires massive amounts of fossil fuels to manufacture and transport its goods.”

Other examples of bottled water bans include: The Waterloo Region District School Board, Canada’s Mountain Equipment Co-op, and the cities of Charlottetown, and Seattle. Bans are also being considered by the Toronto District School Board and the City of Vancouver.

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For more information, please contact:
Dylan Penner, Media Officer: Tel.: (613) 233-4487, ext. 249; .