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

    OTTAWA, March 5 /CNW Telbec/ - 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

For further information: Dylan Penner, Media Officer, Council of
Canadians, [phone] ext 249., Cell: [phone]