At their meeting held January 12, 2010 the Board of Education passed the following motion related to bottled water:

THAT the Board of Education for School District No. 40 (New Westminster) will direct staff to:

1. discontinue providing bottled water at public board meetings, conferences and other public events hosted by the school district;
2. provide a report to the board on any existing contracts for bottled water with an intent to phase out these bottled water contracts;
3. provide a status of clean water fountains in the district;
4. promote municipal water use as the preferred alternative to bottled water in single use bottles;
5. make educational material available that promotes the benefits of municipal tap water use and explains the carbon footprint and health issues associated with single-use water bottles.

On March 30, 2010 a Recommendation was brought:

THAT the Board of Education for School District No. 40 (New Westminster) direct staff to forward Board Motion 2010-016, the usage of bottled water, passed by the New Westminster board of Education on January 12, 2010, to Dr. Nadine Loewen, Regional Medical Health Officer, for comment regarding health implications for children; AND FURTHER, that the motion be sent to the New Westminster DPAC and all PACs in the District, for review and comment.

The Board of School Trustees for School District No. 40 (New Westminster) invites interested groups or individuals to provide input and suggestions relative to this Bottle Water Motion and Recommendation above to bottlewaterfeedback@sd40.bc.ca by June 30th, 2010.