EDITOR:
I find that your editorial 'Lasting legacy,' concerning the new plastic bag ban law in P.E.I. is somewhat misleading to your readers. I understand that you are stating that P.E.I. is the first province to ban the use of plastic bags. Montreal is the first place in Canada to ban single use plastic bags. The law went into effect on Jan. 1, 2018 with a six-month grace period ending on June 30, 2018 and the law will be in full enforcement as of July 1.
P.E.I.’s law only goes into full enforcement on Jan. 1, 2020, a full 1 1/2 years behind Montreal. P.E.I. may still not be the first to enforce the law, as other provinces, between now and Jan.1, 2020, could pass similar laws to be in force before P.E.I.'s date.
RELATED: Montreal's citywide ban on plastic shopping bags comes into effect
As an Islander, I understand your pride in the accomplishments of P.E.I. and its citizens and your desire to promote these accomplishments. As an editor, you have your own views on the subject but as a journalist, you have a duty to your readers to state all the facts and not just the facts that promote your viewpoint. Please, allow your readers the courtesy of making up their own mind after you give us the facts and then your opinion.
A little clarification on the original instigator of the plastic bag ban in Canada would not have detracted from the fact that P.E.I. is the first province to pass this law.
Patricia Lelievre,
Charlottetown
