Last night city officials heard from Nancy Carswell and the Council of Canadians, who urged the city to take the final step by banning the sales of bottled water at city facilities and events when tap water is available.
“It is not acceptable that bottled water drains us of 2,000 times the energy of tap water.” While all council members agreed on the negative environmental impacts of bottled water, they were hesitant to ban its sale.
Lennox-Zepp proposed examining the costs of a portable tap water station for outdoor events, and Botha requested a report on the inventory of facilities with water refill stations, to learn more about the financial implications of banning bottled water sales.
After a contentious debate, their proposals were struck down in a 4-4 vote.
Ward 5 Coun.
He said it was not the city’s place to ban everything and he would rather see the city offer healthy alternatives, though he noted any significant changes would come with a cost.
“This is [just] check off the box, easy fix and feel good about ourselves and move on.” Ward 1 Coun.
Charlene Miller, who helped usher in the refillable water stations at city facilities, said she did not agree with only selling pop and energy drinks at city-owned concessions.
"If bottled water is sitting there and that is all the choice they have for nutrition, I believe that should be there.” Mayor Greg Dionne said he could not support any motion that dealt with bottled banning water sales until there was reform on the detrimental health effects of selling energy drinks to young people.
If the city banned bottled water at its facilities, he said residents would just bring their own.