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Vancouver’s new Blue Community designation begins phase out of bottled water, declares water a human right  

On March 11, 2020, Vancouver earned the designation of “Blue Community” – a bold move which will keep water protected from privatization and ban the sale of bottled water in municipal buildings.

Join Councillors Christine Boyle (Vancouver) and Joe Keithley (Burnaby), Chief Kukpi7 Judy Wilson (Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs) and Joey Hartman (board member, the Council of Canadians) on March 23, 2020 to celebrate World Water Day as the Council of Canadians presents Blue Communities certificates to the City of Vancouver and the City of Burnaby.

The Blue Communities Project encourages municipalities and Indigenous communities to support the idea of a water commons framework, recognizing that water is a shared resource for all, by passing resolutions that:

  1. Recognize water and sanitation as human rights.
  2. Ban or phase out the sale of bottled water in municipal facilities and at municipal events.
  3. Promote publicly financed, owned and operated water and wastewater services.

With Vancouver on board, one in four people in B.C. are living in Blue Communities. Nearby, Burnaby was one of the very first communities to turn “blue” and the city reaffirmed its Blue Communities commitments on February 24, 2020. Connecting the fight for water protection and Indigenous rights, the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs endorsed the Council’s Blue Communities Project earlier this year.

The Council of Canadians has been working with communities across Canada and internationally to encourage municipalities to commit to the Blue Communities principles. Vancouver joins Burnaby, Paris, Berlin, Montreal and 50 other communities from around the globe in becoming a Blue Community.

Date: Monday, March 23, 2020
Time: 10am PST
Location: Media Room at Vancouver City Hall

Councillors Boyle and Keithley, Chief Wilson and Joey Hartman will be available for comment.

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