HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-11-19, Page 11THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2009. PAGE 11. Full bottled water restrictions for schools in 2010Some changes have already beenmade in many schools, and fullrestrictions on the sale of bottled
water in the Avon Maitland District
School Board come into effect Jan.
1, 2010.
“I think we’re ahead of the curve.
The municipalities are doing it and I
see no reason why the school boards
shouldn’t,” enthused Stratford
trustee Doug Pratley, at a regular
board meeting Tuesday, Nov. 10.
Pratley – along with representatives
from school staff, students and
administrators – serves as the trustee
representative on the Environmental
Leadership and Education
Committee, which first brought
forward the recommendation early
this year.
A Jan. 27 board motion, in
keeping with that committee’s
recommendation, called for a
prohibition on “the purchase and/or
sale of bottled water . . . on all
(board) property, except where
required for medical or emergency
purposes.”
The motion called for
implementation for the beginning of
2010, but some parts have already
been put in place.
According to an update report
provided to trustees at the Nov. 10
meeting, vending machines were
removed from all elementary
schools at the conclusion of the
2008-09 school calendar, and bottled
water has been removed from all
secondary school machines.
“I would estimate we had
machines in between 50-75 per cent
of our (elementary) schools,”
explained Avon Maitland purchasing
manager Brad Hill, in an interview
after the meeting. Machines remain
in place in all secondary schools,
meanwhile, albeit with an altered
offering as a result of the recentchanges.Hill noted the elementary schoolmachines used to dispense both fruitjuice and bottled water. The juiceswere removed some time ago due torevised Ministry of Education
guidelines – based on Health
ministry recommendations – on fruit
juice serving sizes for younger
children. The machines could not
accommodate the smaller bottles; as
a result, the elementary school
machines, at the time of their
removal, dispensed only bottled
water.
In secondary schools, where larger
serving-size fruit juices remain
available in vending machines,
bottled water has been removed and
replaced. According to Hill, this has
generally meant the introduction of
“no-calorie” and “low-calorie”
drinks, often described as “vitamin
water” or “vitamin-enhanced
beverages.”
The next step, scheduled for full
implementation Jan. 1, is the
removal of bottled water from
school cafeterias. Hill said the ban
was already negotiated into contracts
with each of the schools’ food
services providers (five of the
board’s nine high schools are served
by the Chartwell’s corporation; the
rest are served by independent
contractors).
Cheryl Peach, a principal who
served on the Environmental
Leadership and Education
Committee, was careful to note this
is not an outright ban.
“We will be allowing students, if
they bring it from home, to have
bottled water,” Peach explained. The
sale of bottled water will also be
allowed for special events at the
school, such as sports tournaments
or other extra-curricular activities.
With those exceptions in mind, the
committee recommended that
schools “need to provide recycling
facilities for plastic bottles.”Peach added, however, thatstudents have already shown they’reready for the changes. More and more students are bringing their ownrefillable water bottles and refillingthem at fountains. And some school-related organizations – such as student councils or school councils –have undertaken refillable waterbottle sales campaigns as a form offundraising.
McGavin
Farm Supply Ltd.
1-877-887-6365 Walton 519-887-6365
WITH McGAVIN FARM SUPPLY LTD.
Now that you’re finishing all your fieldwork, it’s time to give your
equipment a well-deserved rest and get everything ready for winter.
And that means it’s time to call McGavin Farm Supply Ltd. to
schedule your equipment for a certified inspection and stock up on
the parts you need.
To serve you better, new
mobile inspection and
repair service availableNEWGET 0% FINANCING*
NO INTEREST
NO PAYMENTS
ON GENUINE NEW HOLLAND
ORIGINAL PARTS AND SERVICE
PURCHASED BY DEC. 31, 2009
90 DAYS ON $500 OR MORE
CHOOSE A DATE
FOR ON-FARM VISIT
THAT’S CONVENIENT
WITH YOUR SCHEDULE
Call Chris
for details
ENJOY PEACE
OF MIND
KNOWING YOUR EQUIPMENT
IS READY TO GO WHEN
YOU ARE
Take advantage of these offers today!
REPAIR AND PREPARE
We’ve got what you need for
a real Country Christmas
Fresh
Hayter’s
Turkey
Orders will be taken
until December 11th
• Mom’s homemade pies and tarts
• Millbank cheese
• Cheese trays ~ by special order
• Fruit trays ~ by special order
• Gift certificates
• Gift boxes ~ by special order
• and much more
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 6:30 am - 7 pm,
Sat. 8 am - 7 pm, Sun. 11 am - 5pm
WALTON 519-887-8429
High Traction Tread
SNOW GROOVE
M.G.M.
TOWNSEND TIRE
WE’LL KEEP YOU ROLLING
40356 LONDESBORO RD.,
LONDESBOROUGH
519-523-4742
1-877-619-7877
EMAIL: ttyr@tcc.on.ca
Weather-Master S/T 2
By Stew SlaterSpecial to The Citizen