Topic: Sale of bottled water
By Rebecca Tebrake
VANCOUVER SUN
MAY 26, 2009
VANCOUVER — Vancouver’s park board is unlikely to follow city hall’s lead and eliminate the sale of bottled water in city parks and recreation centres.
Profits from bottled water sales provide income that the park board can’t afford to lose, considering the city cut the park board’s budget by $1.95 million this year.
Instead of a ban, the board will likely bump up the number of water fountains in the city and hope the public appetite for bottled water wanes, park board commissioner Loretta Woodcock said.
Last month, city council stopped buying and serving bottled water at civic offices. It asked the park, police, library and Pacific National Exhibition boards to consider doing the same.
The request is on the agenda at tonight’s park board services and budget committee meeting.
The park board earns more than $250,000 from bottled water sales. Under its contract with Coca-Cola the park board cannot dictate product line, Woodcock said.
There would also likely be complaints from tourists who don’t trust the quality of water from fountains.
The park board has 300 public drinking fountains at its facilities. Only 12 of its 183 outdoor fountains operate year-round. Woodcock said installing fountains is fairly affordable, a new Nelson Park drinking fountain cost $15,000, but budget constraints won’t allow the board to start construction until 2011.
As for the elimination of bottled water, that will be left to the market, said Woodcock.
“Maybe Coke will see the merit in changing the kinds of beverages they offer if they see a decline in sales of bottled water,” Woodcock said, adding that a decline in water sales could prompt the board to stock vending machines with healthy fruit juices to make up for lost revenue.
The park board is not the only group to balk at the prospect of losing the lucrative profits from bottled water sales.
The Pacific National Exhibition board opted to continue selling bottled water, which brings in $475,000 annually.
Coun. Tim Stevenson, who spearheaded city hall’s move to eliminate bottled water, was not surprised by the park board’s hesitation. He said the important thing was that the park board was discussing how it could help end the city’s dependence on bottled water.
“We need to be pragmatic and keep our eye on the prize. And to me the prize is making sure Vancouverites know we have the very best water in the world and making it as accessible as possible,” Stevenson said.