Regina councillor supports bottled water ban

The City of Regina could soon be looking at a proposal to ban bottled water at city hall and city-owned recreation centres.

On the weekend, members of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities passed a resolution urging cities to phase out bottled water sales at their own facilities.

Proponents of such a ban are concerned about the environmental impact of plastic bottles, which are recyclable, but often end up in landfills. Ban supporters also point to the energy costs of transporting bottled water.

In Regina, Coun. Wade Murray says he would support such a ban.

"It's one of those things that's been a bit of a pain to me for quite some time," Murray said.

"I'm glad that FCM is bringing that forward, and I think it would have quite strong support from our council because we understand the importance of reducing the waste that's going into our waste stream."

The quality of city water is as high, or higher, than any bottled water, Murray said, adding that it's cheaper, too.

Murray said he would bring the idea up at a future council meeting, but would speak with his fellow councillors about it first.