Push on to ban bottled water in Ont. govt. buildings

University students in Toronto are lobbying the Ontario government to stop buying bottled water and start serving tap water in all provincial buildings.

New Democrat Peter Tabuns will introduce a private member's bill that would restrict government spending on bottled water.

Students from Ryerson and the University of Toronto are behind the campaign, which Tabuns says simply asks the province to stop buying bottled water for its offices.

He says it's a waste of money, especially when Ontario has some of the best municipal tap water in the world.

Tabuns says switching to tap water would reduce the amount of plastic bottles going into landfills in addition to saving the government a lot of money.

Environment Minister John Gerretsen says his office has been drinking tap water for years, and he thinks it's a good idea to encourage others to do the same, whether at work or home.

Gerretsen says there is a role for bottled water, but only at places where tap water is not readily available, like large sporting events.

Private member's bills rarely become law in Ontario, but if Gerretsen convinces his Liberal colleagues to support Tabuns, the government could find itself buying a lot less bottled water.