The town of Quispamsis will not be moving ahead with a ban on plastic bags at local retailers.
Councillors instead voted Tuesday night to lobby for a province-wide ban on single-use plastic shopping bags.
“There’s no disappointment,” said Deputy Mayor Libby O’Hara, who proposed the idea of banning plastic bags locally in May.
At the time, council referred the issue to the town’s climate change committee to review the pros and cons and come back with a recommendation.
“We certainly listened to people, did some homework on it, and we’re moving forward just as we should,” said O’Hara, who is a member of the committee.
“I think it’s important that we have unity across the province. When we work together we get things done. It also helps people in the commercial business so that when people go from town to town, they’re not being issued bags at one place and not in another town.”
The Retail Council of Canada has said any plastic bag ban would be easier on retail outlets if it were done provincially, or at least regionally.
Regional Approach Considered
According to a staff report, the committee also looked at a regional approach involving Rothesay, Saint John and Grand Bay-Westfield, as well as a collective Kennebecasis Valley ban with Rothesay, but decided lobbying for a provincial ban would be the preferred option.
Prince Edward Island recently became the first province to ban plastic bags. Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe have taken a tri-community approach to do the same.
And in June, the federal government announced it would ban single-use plastics, such as plastic bags, straws and cutlery, as early as 2021.
“It’s something that we cannot turn our backs on, it’s something that we do have to address,” O’Hara said. “I’m sure the province will do their due diligence and they’ll come up with some sort of solution to move the province of New Brunswick forward.”
In addition to sending a letter to Premier Blaine Higgs, councillors will also ask the Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick to approve a resolution at their 2019 annual conference requesting the province implement a province-wide ban.
