Vancouver
Vancouver City councillors love to boast about how much they hate bottled water. At city hall last week, Suzanne Anton stood up to say that she had never bought bottled water and could not remember the last time she drank any water from a bottle.
Another councillor, Tim Stevenson, said the only time he had drunk bottled water was during a European vacation years ago. He only did so, he said, because of strong warnings against drinking from a tap.
'Never,' said Mr Stevenson when asked if he had bought bottled water in Vancouver. 'I would never think of drinking bottle water. There's no reason why anyone needs to drink it in Vancouver.'
The councillor, who is also head of the region's water committee, has been pushing for a ban on plastic bottle water for years and recently his crusade got a boost with a unanimous vote that the city should look into banning the sale of bottled water. Staff will report looking into how to ban sales of bottled water from vending machines at city hall and city-run facilities.
Already, residents are being surveyed on whether they drink tap or bottled water. Actually getting people to admit they drink bottled water is as difficult as finding someone with an affection for pesticides.