By Cecilia Nasmith

Cobourg is one step closer to being a Blue Community with the passage of a motion from Councillor Adam Bureau at this week's committee-of-the-whole meeting.

Council voted to recognize the right to water and sanitation as a human right, and to call on both the provincial and Federal governments (and their environment ministers) to enshrine the principal as a human right as well.

Bureau's motion had two other components, which he chose to deal with separately as each involved potential staff and council action (and possibly expense) that should be studied and implemented more methodically

The banning and phasing out of bottled water in municipal facilities and at municipal events was referred back to chief administrative officer Stephen Peacock for a report in order to see if this was feasible. Peacock said the report would be delivered Sept. 3.

The concept of water-bottle filling stations was referred back to the Sustainability and Climate Change Advisory Committee for more information, which should be brought back to council July 22.