Saint John council will consider restricting the sale of bottled water in municipal buildings as a way of demonstrating that tap water is safe to drink.

On Tuesday night, Mayor Ivan Court will put forward a motion to ban the sale of bottled water in city-owned concessions and vending machines.

Court said there should be fountains and taps available in most municipally operated buildings and areas. If there's not, there should be, Court said.

The change will encourage residents to drink the local water and illustrate the tap water is safe, Court said.

There have been three boil-water advisories in the city since January.

"Our municipal water supply is a good, safe water supply, and we are following all the standards that are set out," he said. "We are actually building two new treatment plants in Saint John, for safe water, to make sure we meet any standards that are established by the federal or provincial governments."

City council in London, Ont., voted in August in favour of stopping the sale of bottled water in its municipal buildings.

Other cities — including Kitchener, Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver — are considering similar bans.

Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside also previously told CBC News he supports the idea of banning the sale of bottled water in municipal buildings in the capital city. Council is expected to consider the ban this fall.

SOS Eau-Water Sankwan, an environmental group in Moncton, is also encouraging its city council to ban the sale of bottled water in city hall and other municipal buildings.

Using tap water is cheaper and better for the environment, said Louisa Barton-Duguay, president of the group.

"It takes a lot of energy to recycle those bottles as well as fill them and transport them to us," Barton-Duguay said.

Cities should be making fountains more available for the public to encourage the use of tap water in parks and community areas, Barton-Duguay said.

Moncton city council, however, is not currently looking at banning bottled water, said a municipal spokeswoman.