P.E.I. has shown that it can lead the way in Canada by being the first province to implement a single-use plastic bag ban. Now, we have the chance to lead the way again with a single-use plastics ban. So, what are we waiting for?
Sure, we could wait for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to come through on his announcement to have a single-use plastics ban in place by 2021. But then again, he made that announcement in June, well before the election and the change in government to a Liberal minority. Simply put, with a minority government, we can’t put any stock in previous promises or timelines.
So, this is the perfect time to start putting together our own legislation since the Greens and the Liberals hold the balance of power in the Island’s minority government.
At the very least, there is an opportunity for collaboration since the Greens are supposed to be experts on environmental matters, and the Liberals, and more specifically former MLA Allen Roach, created the plastic bag ban legislation we have today. And in terms of timelines, Roach’s private member’s bill went from first reading to Royal Assent (on June 12, 2018) in about three months. The ban was implemented about a year later on July 1, 2019. Four months in, there have been some inconveniences and adjustments, but overall, the plastic bag ban has been positive. Who knows? Maybe Roach could come out of retirement and consult on the new legislation.
It’s concerning that no one on the Island is saying much about a single-use plastic ban, other than the City of Charlottetown. This week, the city released the results of a survey of 1,200 residents regarding single-use plastics. Unless the city is planning to create a bylaw banning single-use plastics, it’s hard to see the point of using taxpayers’ dollars to conduct a survey, and eventually, create a social media campaign encouraging people to reduce their plastics use. But at least the city is getting people to talk about the matter.
Ultimately, the onus is on the province to come up with a Made-in-P.E.I. single-use plastics ban.
Some businesses are going to disapprove of the legislation because of the convenience of plastic items and the cost of alternatives, including non-plastic utensils and straws. Other businesses will seize the opportunity to improve their image as environmentally-friendly.
As we saw with the single-use plastic shopping bag ban, people don’t need to be encouraged, they need to have the plastic option removed so they don’t have a choice. And, there is a lot of work ahead. After all, we’re proposing to ban multiple items, not just plastic shopping bags. But the work needs to start now. The sooner we can get these items out of our landfills, ditches and oceans, the better it is for all of us.
