Federation of Canadian Municipalities Votes to Kick Out Bottled Water

OTTAWA, March 7 /CNW Telbec/ - The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Board of Directors voted today to encourage their 1,775 members to "phase out the sale and purchase of bottled water."

At the board meeting in Victoria, British Columbia the FCM passed a strongly worded resolution, put forward by the cities of Toronto and London, "urging" all Canadian municipalities to take action on bottled water.

"The FCM resolution is a resounding victory and the latest indication that bottled water's 15 minutes are up and the tap is back," says Joe Cressy, Campaigns Coordinator of the Polaris Institute and the www.insidethebottle.org campaign. "In the same way that Coca-Cola doesn't sell Pepsi in its buildings, we're very pleased to see the FCM encouraging municipalities not to provide bottled water on city property."

Across Canada municipalities and school boards, universities and colleges, faith-based organizations and restaurants are standing up for public water by taking out the bottle.

Canadian Statistics:

- 28 Municipalities from 6 provinces have voted to restrict bottled water.
- The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) recently encouraged their 410 municipal members to take action on bottled water.
- 21 Universities and Colleges have established bottled water free zones.

About the Polaris Institute:

The Polaris Institute is a Canadian public interest research and advocacy group, and the organizer of the www.insidethebottle.org campaign.

For further information: Joe Cressy, Polaris Institute, (613)668-5542,
joecressy@polarisinstitute.org; www.insidethebottle.org