Group calls for Saskatoon to ban bottled water at city events

Saskatoon's chapter of the Council of Canadians is calling on the city to ban the sale of bottled water at municipal facilities and events.

Gail Stevens, with the Saskatoon chapter, will make a presentation this morning to the city's standing committee on environment, utilities and corporate services about joining the group's Blue Communities Project.

Part of becoming a Blue Community is the phasing out of the sale of bottled water. Tap water is the safer choice and is less harmful to the environment, says Stevens, citing the fossil fuels used to make and transport bottled water and the waste they produce.

The bottled water is one of three planks of the project; cities taking part would also have to recognize water as being a human right, and promote publicly financed, owned and operated water and wastewater treatment facilities.

Phasing out bottled water may mean installing a few more water fountains and water bottle fill stations, but Stevens says the change is not necessarily a costly one.

"Not when you consider the huge benefits to health and to the environment."

She cites other communities' creative solutions to providing drinking water at events, such as makeshift "water wagons" where people can fill their reusable bottles.