PSAC BC sends letter to Vancouver City Council regarding the Blue Communities Project

On March 10, Vancouver City Council will debate a motion proposing to make Vancouver a Blue Community: committing to recognize water and sanitation as human rights, ban or phase-out the sale of bottled water in municipal facilities and at municipal events, and promote publicly financed, owned and operated water and wastewater services.

At PSAC’s 2015 National Convention, our members unanimously adopted a national water policy (Resolution GEN-092A – Policy Paper on Water), which calls on PSAC to support and promote water as a public good, and mandates the union to use public tap water wherever possible.

To that end Jamey Mills, PSAC Regional Executive Vice-President for BC, has written to Mayor Stewart and Vancouver City Council, calling on them to pass this motion.

March 4, 2020

Mayor Kennedy Stewart & Vancouver City Council - via email

Greetings,

I write today on behalf of 2,000 members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada – myself included – who live in the city of Vancouver, and thousands of others who live in the Lower Mainland and across British Columbia.

Next week Vancouver City Council will debate a motion proposing to make Vancouver a Blue Community.

We call on City Council to pass this motion so that Vancouver may join many other cities around the world in committing to recognize water and sanitation as human rights, in banning or phasing-out the sale of bottled water in municipal facilities and at municipal events, and in promoting publicly financed, owned and operated water and wastewater services.

Members of our union have told us these are important issues to them and their families and we encourage you to speedily pass the motion and take these meaningful and necessary steps towards protecting our water resources for the needs of the public.

Regards,

Jamey Mills
Regional Executive Vice President
Public Service Alliance of Canada, BC Region