The London Free Press reports that, “London’s ban on selling bottled water at city-owned sites went unchallenged Monday night… The bottled-water ban, passed by council to much fanfare in 2008, blocks the sale of single-use bottled water as city-owned sites including arenas, buildings and two golf courses. The possibility it could be overturned, with beverage giant Nestle asking it be tossed, drew widespread reaction. Dozens, including many schoolkids, were at City Hall Monday to support the ban.”
“At council’s community and neighbourhoods committee meeting two weeks ago, Coun. Paul Van Meerbergen moved that the ban be ended, thus again allowing bottled-water sales at rinks and other taxpayer-owned sites. He was supported then by Mayor Joe Fontana and Coun. Stephen Orser. He was opposed by Coun. Harold Usher, Bill Armstrong and Matt Brown.” We highlighted this in a February 16 campaign blog at http://canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=6429. The news at that time also highlighted that the motion against the three year-old ban was “sparked by beverage giant Nestle Waters’ request…”
“A Free Press survey of all councillors suggested the ban would survive any challenge on the council floor by an 8-7 margin. But the motion to end the ban was never moved Monday night. Instead, council asked staff for a few reports on related items, such as the cleanliness of city water fountains.”
To read the Council of Canadians’ action alert opposing Nestle’s attempt to reverse the ban, please go to http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/making-waves/2011/02/nestle-trying-reverse-london%E2%80%99s-ban-sale-bottled-water-city-prope.
The Council of Canadians also contacted its members in London and encouraged them to call their councillor and to ask them to vote in favour of the ban.
The London Free Press article is at http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2011/02/28/17442356.html.
The Council of Canadians is now also an endorser of the March 10 ‘Bottled Water Free Day’. For more information on that, please go to http://www.bottledwaterfreeday.ca/index2.php?section_id=14.
