by John Challinor I read with interest the article written by Laura Walz that appeared in the June 6 edition of the Peak entitled, “Blue Community proposal fails.”
While City of Powell River Councillor Russell Brewer is to be commended for his commitment to environmental sustainability, the Blue Communities Project is not an environmental initiative—it’s a political campaign being waged by the Canadian Union of Public Employees against the Canadian beverage industry and its 13,000 employees.
CUPE President Paul Moist has acknowledged this in related correspondence that was recently published in the Owen Sound Sun Times, Toronto Sun and Waterloo Chronicle when he wrote, “Nestlé spokesperson John Challinor is partly right about CUPE’s joint work with the Council of Canadians on bottled water. The Blue Communities Project is absolutely a political campaign. What could be more appropriate than grassroots activism that invites our elected local representatives to have a democratic, public debate about how scarce municipal tax dollars should be spent.”
In referring the matter to staff for a report, council clearly recognizes this resolution for what it is: a Trojan horse-like treatise developed solely to encourage municipalities to ban the sale of bottled water in their facilities under the guise of human rights and infrastructure management.
Councillors Debbie Dee, Jim Palm and others who led the referral should be commended for exercising critical, independent thinking in the face of an overly simplified, factually incorrect, feel-good resolution prepared by Council of Canadians (COC) and CUPE about complex matters that either eliminate future viable policy alternatives or extend well beyond the city’s legislative authority.
We agree with COC and CUPE that water is a human right. And given that Canada has a $21-billion water and sewer infrastructure deficit resulting in, among other things, more than 1,500 boil-water orders across the country last year, we also support continued investment in our municipal systems.
Where we draw the line with COC and CUPE is their misguided and misleading attempts to ban the sale of bottled water in public facilities. Bottled water does not compete with tap water. More than 70 per cent of Canadians drink both. They consume tap water at home and bottled water on-the-go for proper hydration, better health and simple convenience.
Purchasing bottled water does not impact much-needed investments in Canada’s water and sewer infrastructure. Canadians pay local, provincial and federal taxes with the expectation that a portion of those funds will be invested to properly maintain their municipal water systems. They spend their disposable income on a myriad of consumer items, including bottled water.
About 80 per cent of plastic beverage containers, including bottled water, were recycled in British Columbia last year, according to Encorp Pacific, the provincial steward responsible. The Canadian beverage industry is working with government and consumers to improve on that diversion rate through such initiatives as public spaces recycling. The industry funded a pilot last year in Richmond that has since become the first permanent, city-wide public spaces recycling program in the province.
We remain hopeful this matter, once reviewed by staff and council, will be received with no further action taken.
John B. Challinor II is the director of corporate affairs for Nestlé Waters Canada based in Guelph, Ontario.
