The Kamloops Daily News reports, “City council was willing to affirm that access to clean water is a fundamental human right. …The issue of water came up at council’s Tuesday meeting after Anita Strong from the Council of Canadians made a presentation on being a blue community.”
The article adds, “But city council wasn’t willing (yet) to ban the sale of bottled water in its sporting facilities. …(Despite that) city parks, culture and recreation director Byron McCorkell said the number of water bottles for sale in vending machines in municipal facilities has been reduced. And the City does promote use of its water fountains.”
While Kamloops does not become a blue community, it does join a growing list of Canadian cities that have recognized water as a human right over the past year. Those cities are:
2011
– Burnaby, BC (March 22)
– Victoria, BC (June 24)
– Tiny Township, ON (September 12)
– Port Alberni (September 8)
– Ajax, ON (December 12)
2012
– North Vancouver, BC (February 7)
– Kamloops, BC (March 13)
Congratulations to the Kamloops chapter!
