​Environmental group calls on Kincardine to become a Blue Community

The Kincardine Environmental Action Network (KEAN) wants Kincardine to become a Blue Community.

Amanda Saxton and Kim Armitage of the group made their pitch to Kincardine council at the meeting Wednesday night (Oct. 22).

Saxton urged the municipality to seek Blue Community status by 2026, much like Bayfield and London already have. This international status would be beneficial for Kincardine to position itself to tourists and residents, alike, as a shoreline that cares about environmental sustainability, she said.

“A Blue Community is one that adopts a water commons framework which treats water as a common good that is shared by everyone and is the responsibility of all,” said Saxton. “Because water is essential for human life, it must be governed by principles that allow for reasonable use, equal distribution and responsible treatment in order to preserve water for nature and future generations.”

She said Step 1 is for the municipality to recognize that water and sanitization are human rights and commit to publicly-financed, -owned and -operated water and wastewater services.

Step 2 is to phase out the sale of bottled water at municipal facilities, such as the Davidson Centre, and local events, such as the Kincardine Scottish Festival.

“It’s important to ban the sale of bottled water,” she said. “A lot of those plastic bottles are not being recycled. Kincardine could set an example for our neighbouring municipalities."

And Step 3 is to provide additional water refill stations, said Saxton.

Currently, there are filling stations at the Davidson Centre, the Bruce Avenue soccer fields washroom facility and the Dunsmoor Park washroom facility.

“We believe it is pertinent to focus on installing outdoor water refill stations at high-traffic areas, such as Station Beach, the downtown core and Victoria Park,” said Saxton.

Along with refill stations, the municipality should consider providing a Quench Buggy at major events, such as the Scottish Festival, she said. A portable solution for water-filling, the buggy would eliminate the need for the sale of bottled water at these events.

KEAN is piloting a program whereby residents and visitors can refill their water bottles with tap water for free at local stores and restaurants. At present, refills are available at the Dairy Queen, Bar Down, Reactor Room, Word Squirrel Books, Century 21, Lakeshore Trading Post, Lazy J Ranch, and Queen Street Market Cafe, all in Kincardine, and Little Blue Coffee House in Tiverton.

Kincardine mayor Kenneth Craig thanked KEAN for the presentation which will be referred to staff for a recommendation to council at a future meeting.