Legislative Action

Bottled water ban surges ahead: Kingston Whig Standard

Posted By JORDAN PRESS
May 13, 2009

City hall is one step closer to banning the sale of bottled water in municipal facilities.

A committee of councillors voted unanimously last night for the ban, giving it first approval and bringing it one vote away from becoming city policy.

"This is the way a progressive city moves forward," said Councillor Steve Garrison, who first proposed the ban months ago but doesn't sit on the committee.

"It's no different than the pesticides issue. It's about people making behavioural changes."

The decision still has to be ratified by council. Council can overturn the committee's decision.

The city would phase out sales of bottled water in city facilities, amending contracts or letting them expire so that drinking fountains become the only source of potable water.

The city would spend $158,000 at 13 facilities to upgrade water fountains as part of the initiative. It's estimated the city will lose about $30,000 in revenues if bottled water is removed from city facilities.

"If you can do something good for the community, the tax issue needs to take a back seat, especially when it's a matter of very little income," said Councillor Rob Hutchison.

He said the ban is symbolic, but it could help force changes in how products are packaged in the future.

"We'll adapt," he said.

"It's a question of whether we care enough about the environment."

Councillor Dorothy Hector said residents aren't happy with how some facilities aren't meeting their budgets, and the city shouldn't be making changes that affect revenues and costs.

She said there were also health concerns associated with the ban, including studies that have shown drinking fountains to be havens for germs.

"I'm concerned about the strategy the city will use to ensure we have clean, non-contaminated city facilities," said Hector, who doesn't sit on the committee.

"I'm also extremely concerned for budget implications."

Jim Keech, president of Utilities Kingston, said Kingston's drinking water is safe and is checked regularly.

"There is absolutely no concern," Keech said.

"The citizens can be very confident in the product we provide."

In January, councillors ordered city staff to find a way to ban the sale of bottled water in city facilities and promote the municipal water system.

A representative from the Kingston chapter of the Council of Canadians told the committee the organization saw water as a human right and "strongly opposed the bottled water industry's commodification of this resource."

The city needs to promote its water system, said Michelle Dory, and improve public access to fountains.

"Bottled water undermines our efforts to achieve our goals," Dory said.

An executive with Nestle Waters Canada said studies from other cities have shown that bottled water doesn't have a large environmental impact and a ban would have a small effect on the amount of waste created at city facilities.

"Given these facts, banning the sale of bottled water will remove the public's rightful access to the most healthful choice and is nothing more than political green-washing, environmental symbolism and bad public policy," said John Challinor, director of corporate affairs.

Challinor wouldn't say how much Nestle Waters Canada, a private company, earns from sales or pays to produce bottled water.

"There's this perception that there's a considerable profit margin with our business," he said.

"The margin is not what you might think it is."

Councillors Leonore Foster, Rob Matheson, Bill Glover, Vicki Schmolka and Hutchison voted for the ban. Councillor Mark Gerretsen was not at the meeting.

Councillor Ed Smith cited a conflict of interest and didn't vote. His business, Windmills Cafe Ltd., has the vending rights at the Grand Theatre.

However, that didn't stop Smith from handing out unopened Nestle bottles of water with a printed label that said, "I Can't Believe its (sic) not Water."

"This revolutionary new product is the result of nanotechnology," the label reads.

"Once water, then a cola, now as a result of this revolutionary process it tastes and looks like water but its (sic) not. It has all the health benefits of a cola without its (sic) stain creating properties.

"This new nano-product will singlehandedly (sic) eliminate global warming and bring peace to the Middle East.

"Yes it tastes and looks like water but its (sic) not."