In early December a new coalition challenged advertising claims made by Nestlé Waters that "bottled water is the most environmentally responsible consumer product in the world". The group, which includes Friends of the Earth Canada, the Polaris Institute, the Council of Canadians, Wellington Water Watchers, and Ecojustice, is filing a complaint today under Canadian Code of Advertising Standards against Nestlé Waters North America. The groups argue that Nestlé is attempting to mislead the public on the true impacts of bottled water. Copies of the coalition's complaint against Nestlé Waters are available upon request.

We are thrilled to share with you the news that the City of Toronto (the 4th biggest city in North America) yesterday banned the sale and provision of bottled water on city property and voted to re-invest in public water services! See press release below.

The vote was the culmination of months of advocacy and public pressure from community groups, environmental groups and labour allies. In the face of extensive (and costly) corporate industry lobbying, Toronto City Councillors made the right choice.

At the Polaris Institute, we want to thank all of you for your contribution to this precedent setting vote. Many of you took action by calling councillors, forwarding action alerts and writing letters to Toronto councillors.

Thank you!

From the Polaris Water Team,

Tony Clarke, Joe Cressy, Richard Girard, Zoe Maggio

For Immediate Release

3 December 2008

Richard Girard, Polaris Institute, October 28, 2008 – People are turning away from bottled water as fast as they turned onto it. Municipalities across Canada and the United States are limiting the sale and purchase of bottled water in city buildings, bottled water free zones are popping up on college and university campuses, community groups are phasing out the use of bottled water, and the message about the ills of this product is all over the mainstream media.

The past few months have seen one of the most significant financial crises in North American and European history. The response was just as historic. To stave off regional and global recessions and restore stability and confidence in the market, northern governments are pursuing a massive and unprecedented program of government intervention, nationalizing banks, injecting massive subsidies into ailing institutions and re-regulating their financial sectors.

This response sits in direct contrast to the austere neoliberal policies pressed on developing countries by the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and developed countries for the past thirty years. Governments have been pushed to liberalize trade barriers, deregulate financial and labour markets, privatize national industries, abolish subsidies, and reduce social and economic spending. The state saw its role severely reduced.

Andrew Martin, October 15, 2008, New York Times - Tap water is making a comeback. That’s bad news for PepsiCo’s profits.

The company, which makes Pepsi, Doritos and Quaker Oats cereal, announced on Tuesday that its quarterly earnings were down 10 percent in part because of declines in sales of soda and bottled water in the United States.

In response, the company is planning to eliminate 3,300 jobs and close as many as six plants to cut costs and to refocus its efforts on stabilizing its domestic beverage business.

“Revitalizing this business is a huge priority for us,” said PepsiCo’s chief executive, Indra Nooyi.

Pepsi reported net income of $1.58 billion for the third quarter, compared with $1.74 billion a year earlier. Excluding losses related to commodity hedges, the company’s earnings were $1.06 per share. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters were expecting $1.08 per share.

The film based on the book Blue Gold, co-authored by Maude Barlow and Tony Clarke [Polaris Institute] premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) last week to sold out audiences. Directed by Sam Bozzo, Blue Gold: World Water Wars also won the audience choice environmental awards at the VIFF.

Jane Kay, San Francisco Chronicle, October 15, 2008 - Bottled water brands do not always maintain the consistency of quality touted in ads featuring alpine peaks and crystalline lakes and, in some cases, contain toxic byproducts that exceed state safety standards, tests show.

As Canadian civil society organizations, we hereby call upon Canada’s political leaders during this general election campaign to respond clearly and unequivocally to US presidential candidate Barack Obama’s challenge to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Kari Lydersen, Washington Post, September 29, 2008 - Even as a 10-year campaign to block wholesale export of Great Lakes water came to a successful conclusion in Congress last week, some legislators and environmentalists vowed to continue their fight to close a "bottled-water loophole," a campaign that taps into a national debate over sales of H2O in disposable containers.

Ken Thomas, September 22, 2008, Associated Press Newswires - A key Michigan lawmaker said Monday he will oppose a compact to prevent the diversion of water from the Great Lakes because it allows bottled water to be shipped from the region.

Polaris Institute Press Release, September 18, 2008, Ottawa - Even after sending representatives to the Region of Waterloo’s Council meeting last night and to last week’s Planning and Works Committee meeting, representatives from the bottled water industry went home with another black eye.