I do not know if I have the litres or the numbers right, but you say people are paying hundreds of dollars per bottle for this birch sap, and there is a market for 325 million bottles.

Higher confidence in tap water can reduce bottled water consumption.

Question No. 60 Mr. Bruce Hyer: With respect to the purchase and provision of single-use water bottles and water coolers by the government over the last five years: (a) (i) what are the total government expenditures for bottled water on an annual basis, as well as over a five year period, (ii) on an annual basis, what amount is spent by each department; (b) (i) with respect to the above figures, how much was spent annually, on a departmental or agency basis, in the National Capital Region, (ii) what was the breakdown by province for such services; and (c) by province, what is the number of Government of Canada employees, and the number ...[+++] of drinking water fountains that service these employees?

The term ‘spring water’ can only be used for water intended for human consumption in its natural state, bottled at source and meets the legislation's health and labelling conditions.

To give you an example, if you have a federal employee working on reserve, the government has to provide him or her with safe drinking water; if the water is not good in the community, the federal employee will arrive with his or her bottle of water, to make sure he or she will drink safe drinking water.

With respect to the question on the safety of bottled water, any bottled water sold in the country must meet the requirements of Division 12 of the Food and Drugs Regulations.