A small bottle of water often costs more than double what you would pay for the same amount of gas at the pump. When this article was first published on August 8, regular gas in Nova Scotia was about $1.70 a litre or more. Every price jump stings, but the real shock is elsewhere.
Compare that with bottled water at the store. At $1.70 a litre, half a litre of gas costs about 85 cents. The same amount of bottled water often sells for $2 or more. That works out to about $4 a litre, more than double the price of gas. Most of us grab bottled water without thinking about the cost.
This is not to say gas should be cheaper. The point is that we are paying a lot for something as essential as water. I understand why people buy bottled water for convenience, habit or lack of options, but we rarely think about the price comparison.
Much bottled water comes from public systems or local wells. Gasoline, meanwhile, begins as crude oil that is extracted, shipped, refined and taxed. Yet we still pay more for a small bottle of water than for the same amount of gas, and we are quick to say gas is far too expensive.
In Colchester County, one company can draw 650,000 litres per day from a Salmon River well. Another can take up to 981,000 litres daily. In 2024, these companies’ annual provincial invoices were $360 and $409. These are not meaningful royalties. They are bargain-basement permits to take a public resource for almost nothing. The province charges a $265 yearly fee for water withdrawals, plus a tiny per-litre fee. Companies bottle the water and sell it back to us at a huge markup. If the government will not demand fair water fees now, it is hard to believe it will do better when other corporations come for our resources.
Government did not invent bottled water, but it sets the rules. It can keep letting water be a cheap giveaway for private profit, or it can finally protect water as a public resource. We need strong public water systems, working drinking fountains in public places and clear reporting on what companies take and what they pay. We also need real protection for our aquifers.
People in Nova Scotia should not have to buy bottled water just because public fountains are broken or missing. Safe water should be available for everyone, everywhere, including at gas stations. When bottled water costs more than double what you would pay for the same amount of gas, it is fair to ask who is really getting soaked. Next time you get gas, bring water from home. It is much cheaper.
This article was first published on Danny Cavanagh’s Substack on August 8, 2026. View the original Substack post. It has been lightly edited for spelling, grammar and Canadian usage.
