FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2008

London Bottle Ban Sets Precedent for Water Protection in Canada

London, ON – The Council of Canadians is applauding the decision last night by the City of London to enact a comprehensive ban on sale of bottled water on city premises. Going further than other bans in Canadian cities so far, the precedent-setting London bottle ban extends beyond city hall to all city facilities. The Council of Canadians calls on all cities across the country to enact similar bans.

“This decision represents a most positive step, the first of many, towards a future of sustainability.  Our new fountains will represent a city re-designing itself for our citizens and future generations rather than a city shaped by industry,” says Cory Morningstar, chair of the London Chapter of the Council of Canadians. Morningstar played a leading role in the campaign to secure the bottled water ban in London.

“Huge congratulations to the London City Council are in order for showing such leadership,” says Maude Barlow, national chairperson of the Council of Canadians, and author of Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water. “It is crucial that all Canadians understand our water is precious, and must be clean, accessible and protected.”

“We believe this decision will inspire cities across Canada and across the world to not only recognize water as a basic human right not to be commodified, but to take back and embrace the tap,” adds Morningstar. Activists of the London chapter of the Council of Canadians who played a key role in achieving the victory are now issuing a challenge to the John Labatts Centre & other large local facilities to show leadership and environmental stewardship by announcing a voluntary discontinuation of the purchase and sale of single use bottled water.

In addition, the Council of Canadians notes that the claim by industry lobby group Refreshments Canada that bottled water bans will hurt recycling programs, ignores the age-old environmental mantra - reduce, reuse, and then recycle.” Far from being a boon for recycling programs, as Refreshments Canada argues, increasing the quantity of bottled water strains water tables, and erodes public control of and access to a vital resource.

- 30 -

For More Information:

Dylan Penner, Media Officer, Council of Canadians, Ottawa, Ph: 613-233-4487 x 249;

Kevin Lomack, London Chapter, Council of Canadians, 519-872-0978