The Kootenay Western Star reported on June 13 that, "Nelson council banned the provision of bottled water in city-owned and operated buildings during a meeting held on June 9." This is further evidence of a growing momentum across Canada of municipalities and school boards banning bottled water.

The full story can be read at http://www.bclocalnews.com/kootenay_rockies/kootenaywesternstar/news/19846449.html.

As reported today by the CanWest News Service in numerous newspapers across the country, "At least one Metro Vancouver school district is considering banning the sale of water in plastic bottles due to their environmental impact. Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows school board chairwoman Cheryl Ashlie said the B.C. carbon tax, the environmental impact of the bottles and the health of students prompted the district's nutrition committee to discuss the subject...The Vancouver school board is aware of the movement to ban plastic water bottles, said board chairman Clarence Hansen. But it hasn't looked into the ban yet...Linda McPhail, board chairwoman for the Richmond school district, said the same."

This newspaper report notes that, "The 2007 guidelines for food and beverage sales in B.C. schools, provided by the Education and Health Ministries, includes water in the category that must make up 50 per cent of food and beverage sales by 2008, creating a potential problem for any move by school districts to ban bottled water. The guidelines also require pop to be eliminated from schools' sales by 2008."

This article can be read at, http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=6f8ac0e7-26ef-4eed-8bfe-85e66cff88d8.

To find out more about 'How you can help ban bottled water', please go to the Council of Canadians website at http://www.canadians.org/water/issues/Bottle%20Bans/index.html.