Voices across the province getting louder in support of plastic bag ban

Thecall to ban single-use plastics is picking up steam acrossNewfoundland and Labrador.

Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador is spearheading an online campaign for residents of the province to voice their opinions on social media platforms using #banthebag,after Environment Minister Graham Lettoannounced March 4 the government will be gathering more opinions before making a final decision on whether to ban plastic bags provincewide.

"The problem that we got is the number of delays and the time period that it takes to get something done," said Tony Keats, president of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador.

"We started this back in the fall of 2015 with the first resolution, and then in 2017 the next resolutions from the Town of Torbay. It's just the matter of time delays, that's what has got us a little bit upset this week."

In February,Lettosaid his department was preparing businesses for a possibleban on plastic bags, and that a decision was going to made in a matter of weeks. But, the most recent decision, to continue with consultations rather than makinga definitive decision, hasleft supporters and environmentalists shocked, according to MNL.

However, Keats said there wassome positive news from the minister's recent media scrum.

"I guess they want to make sure that they're doing it right, and we got no problem with that as long as we know there's a ban coming," he told CBC Radio's Labrador Morning on Monday.

"With the minister coming out last week [tothe] media saying 'it's a matter of how, not if,' that's a positive.We await a decision and all we're doing now is making sure people go online to EngageNL and get the survey done and tell this governmenta ban is necessary."

On Monday,Lettosaid he personally fully supports thebanning of all single-use plastic bags.

When asked on CBC Radio'sCrossTalkwhether or not the reasonto delay the bag ban decision until after the provincial election was to save votes,Lettosaid that simply isn't the case and reiterated an "if and when" scenario in favour of the ban.

"You can't please everybody. No matter what you do, you're going to have for and against. But, this is not an election issue," Letto said.

"This is not about the election, this is not about votes, it's about doing the right thing for the environment."

Some towns ahead of the curve

Some municipalities and businesses have taken matters into their own handsinstead of waiting on the province's decision.

Nainbecame one of the first communities in the province to ban plastic bags, in 2009. Other communitieson Labrador's north coast followed suit. The Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation, arguably one of the biggest contributors to plastic bags in the province,banned plasticbags in November.

In January, the Town ofNew-Wes-Valley purchased 800 reusable shopping bags to give to its residents for free as a move to reduce the amount of plastic bags heading to the landfill.

"Our town took the initiative when we received correspondence from the provincial government, and also from discussion from theMNLconvention in Gander about the banning of plastic bags," New-Wes-ValleyMayor Kenneth Hoyles told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning on Monday.

"We brought that back to council and had some discussions on it and decided to buy the reusable bags and give them out to the kids duringour last Santa Claus parade, and we've been using them since and it seem likes residents are taking to the actions that we took at that particular time."

Hoyles said there has been some visible change in the town since it offered free cloth shopping bags, and said it's a no-brainer for the province to completely ban plastic bags.

"We're in a situation today where plastic bags seem to be piling up in our waste disposal sites, they're blowing around the communities, they're in our oceans, they're everywhere," he said.

"I think it's absolutely time for the government itself to put this ban in place."

Give up plastic for Lent?

One reverend in St. John's is asking his congregation to consider cutting out single-use plastics for Lent.

Reverend Mark Nichols of St. Mark's Anglican Churchtold CBC Radio's St. John's Morning Show on Monday thatLent is a season for self-examination, adding Christians have a responsibility to care for what has been entrusted to them.

"The science is quite clear how destructive this is being to our planet, especially to our oceans," he said.

"So I've invited them to abstain from single-use plastic shopping bags, which is a big issue today. Butif they have already done thatthen they can look at plastic straws, takeout coffee cups or whatever."

Nichols is a columnist for Anglican Life,the Anglican newspaper for Newfoundland and Labrador. His focus is on creation care as an aspect to their faith.

Concern over future of the planet

"I have four beautiful, precious grandchildren, and I really, really worry about what state of the planet that I will hand over to them when my time on this earth is done," he said.

"I'm very concerned [about] what we hand over, but I'm also concerned about what we're doing to the planet, whether life will be able to live on."

While he doesn't know the exact numbers of parishioners who have taken his advice since he proposed the idea, Nichols saidgenerating conversation and raising awareness ofthe plastic waste issueis a good beginning.

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