Bill 112, Single-Use Bottled Water Ban Act, would have prohibited the sale of single-use plastic water bottles in Ontario. Offenders could have faced fines of between $500 and $25,000 or even jail time. The private member's bill was introduced in October and defeated in the legislature during a vote Nov. 6. It generated opposition from the beverage and bottling industry as well as politicians, including Brampton-Springdale's Linda Jeffrey.

Kular said the proposed ban was intended to stop the negative environmental impact these plastic bottles have when sent to landfill instead of recycling depots. He also wanted to curb the energy consumption needed to produce the bottles and the pollution related to transporting them to the marketplace.

"It's bad for our environment," he said. "The other thing is it underscores the confidence with our city water systems. Our tap water is good as bottled and we should be using that rather than bottled water."

He noted Coca-Cola's Desani water is filtered water drawn from Peel region's taps.

"From those angles, to me, I thought it was a very important issue and I wanted to bring it to a discussion and awareness level and that's what I did," said Kular.

He understands a ban on the bottles could mean job losses in the community and industry. He suggested it was time the industry started developing more environmentally-friendly bottles or alternatives.

"They have to be innovative. They have to use bigger bottles or they have to make them biodegradable, that kind of thing," Kular added. "I'm not trying to kill the industry. I'm not trying to abolish the industry. I want our environment to be safe."

His bill received some support, including backing from Brampton West MPP Vic Dhillon, but died in a 17-10 vote on Second Reading. Jeffrey was counted among the opposition.

She said stakeholders who would be impacted by the legislation were not consulted before its drafting and as a result she could not support the bill.

"The bottling industry like all others, like the car industry, there is five to seven jobs that spin off from those and it has an impact from a economic perspective and you just can't bring something forward without having consulted." Jeffrey insisted. "So my sense is there wasn't enough consultation. I felt it would harm business in my community."

Jeffrey said members of the bottling and beverage industry approached her with concerns about the potential job losses. The kind of economic impact the bill could have to a community like Brampton, home to the Coca-Cola Bottling plant, could be very harmful, especially with an apparent recession on the horizon, she noted.

Despite the bill's admirable environmental protection and conservation intent, it needed work on a practical ramification and application perspective, she concluded.

There was no consultation with the public or industry, charged John Challinor, corporate affairs director with Nestle Waters. There are thousands of Brampton residents employed in the beverage bottling and distribution industry. The bill would have had severe employment consequences for all of the them, he said.

"He (Kular) clearly does not understand the environmental stewardship associated with the bottled water industry," Challinor added.

Much of the information and statistical data being used to support the bill is erroneous or without credible scientific support, he contended.

"It's a well-known fact, it's not disputed our product has the lightest environmental footprint of any consumer packaged good that a Canadian consumer can purchase today," he said.