TO THE ONTARIO LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY:
We the undersigned residents of the province of Ontario, petition the Legislative Assembly:

We recognize water as a human right and strongly oppose the bottled water industry’s commodification of this public resource.

Bottled water undermines public faith in tap water although Ontario has one of the best public drinking water systems in the world.

Bottled water requires massive amounts of fossil fuels to manufacture and transport. It also takes three to five litres of water to manufacture a one litre plastic bottle of water.

Bottled water companies use municipal water and groundwater sources when over a quarter of Canadian municipalities have faced water shortages in recent years. Water shortages have been reported in the Great Lakes region near water bottling plants.

Bottled water also creates excessive amounts of physical waste when Ontario is dealing with a waste management crisis.

Therefore, we urge the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to implement a provincial bottled water ban that includes:

1) A ban on the sale and purchase of bottled water in all provincial public spaces including the Legislative Assembly, provincial government offices, hospitals and other buildings and spaces owned by the provincial government.

2) A commitment to improve access to public drinking water in all provincially owned and operated spaces including the legislative assembly, provincial government offices, hospitals and other buildings and spaces owned by the provincial government by investing in drinking water fountains and other infrastructure.

3) A commitment to clean, safe drinking water and sanitation for all residents of Ontario by supporting publicly owned and operated infrastructure and distribution systems.