The beleaguered bottled water industry has had its flow cut off by yet another Canadian municipality but can expect smooth waters in Calgary for the foreseeable future, say aldermen. London, Ont., became the latest Canadian city to join the bottled water backlash Monday after its city council voted to eliminate sales of the product at municipally-run facilities. Similar legislation has already been passed in Edmonton and Vancouver, while school boards in Toronto, Ottawa and Waterloo, Ont., have also moved to restrict sales of once trendy, now shunned, bottled water. But a similar ban in Calgary's municipal facilities could potentially fly in the face of a private contract the city has to sell millions of litres of its water to firms such as Coca-Cola, which bottles the water and sells it as Dasani. "It might actually be in contradiction of the agreement. ... We have to be cognizant of that as well," said Ald. Ric McIver.
--------------------------
By MICHAEL PLATT 02/27 Calgary Sun
The exact deal between Calgary and Coke is a closely guarded secret, but City of Calgary water officials say 35% of the clean water they produce is sold to the private sector, amounting to 60 billion litres a year. Even during watering bans and times of drought, the city honours that contract -- Dasani is still bottled, even as your lawn is brown and dying. When asked, aldermen sound uncomfortable with the issue of bottled water for profit. Ald. Brian Pincott, the rookie councillor -- who's taken his past as an environmental crusader to the political level -- says he'd like to see the supply for bottled water cut off -- but he won't make the motion. "I'd love to explore that, but I don't think there's an easy solution, without dragging the private-sector lawyers into it," he said. With contracts signed with breweries, as well as bottlers like Coke, Pincott said it would be hard to tell paying customers how to use what they buy.
No comments:
Post a Comment