For Immediate Release
March 5, 2009

FCM bottled water resolution sends the right message to cities, says Council of Canadians

Ottawa / March 5, 2009 – The Council of Canadians is encouraging the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) to vote in favour of a resolution that would call for all municipalities to phase out the sale and purchase of bottled water where appropriate. The vote is expected to take place this Saturday, March 7, at the upcoming FCM board meeting in Victoria.

“If this resolution at the FCM goes through, it will send an important message to the rest of the world about the leadership of Canadian municipalities in reclaiming water as a public resource,” says Maude Barlow, senior advisor on water to the President of the United Nations General Assembly and national chairperson of the Council of Canadians. “The FCM adopting a policy opposing bottled water would also be an important step toward a national water policy that would improve the public system and ensure clean drinking water standards for all communities across the country.”

In advance of this vote, the Council of Canadians has written to all FCM Board members encouraging them to support this resolution. Council of Canadians chapter activists and allies have been presenting bottled water resolutions to municipalities across Canada, many of which have been passed. Should the FCM show leadership on Saturday, the resolution would be an outcome of the momentum of this campaign.

“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.”

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

In January, the London chapter of the Council of Canadians worked with the city of London to have this resolution tabled at the FCM. So far, 27 municipalities across Canada have phased out the sale of bottled water in their facilities. In June 2009 the US Conference of Mayors passed a resolution encouraging mayors to phase out city spending on bottled water and to promote the importance of municipal water.

NOTE: The Council of Canadians 'Unbottle it!' tour with CUPE Ontario will continue with visits to four northern Ontario communities in mid-April and early-May. For more information about the Council of Canadians’ 'Unbottle it!' campaign, visit www.canadians.org/water/issues/Unbottle_It

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For More Information: Dylan Penner, Council of Canadians, 613-795-8685