No more foot-dragging on plastics ban
Dear mayors, councillors and CVRD directors:
I again implore Cowichan’s municipal and city councils to legally ban all single-use plastic materials under recent changes to B.C.’s Community Charter.
I am disappointed the province has not yet amended our Local Government Act to allow similar plastic bans in regional districts such as Cowichan.
Still, that does not stop CVRD directors from urging Victoria to make that eco-logical act amendment — and educating folks against accepting single-use plastics.
A timely story in the Aug. 5, 2021 Cowichan Citizen explains how the mayors of North Cowichan and Duncan still prefer having regional and municipal governments acting on the same plastic-banning page.
That signals both councils will likely continue doing nothing about banning the piles of plastics entering our waste stream, lakes, parks and streets.
Lake Cowichan Mayor Bob Day says his council will discuss a plastics ban in future.
But continued stalling doesn’t make sense now when our councils can legally ban those plastics — as have eco-wise councils in other municipalities such as Victoria and Nanaimo.
Why are we still waiting to enact this cogent ban?
Let’s remember many folks in CVRD areas also shop in stores in both municipalities where a now-legal plastics ban would help keep those toxic materials out of our environment.
Cowichanians can also act now by taking cloth bags to shop, and by urging store managers and owners to ban plastics now.
Customer statements such as “I won’t shop here if plastic bags are still being offered” should make a difference to caring store brass.
Also remember smart kids from Bench School years ago urged a local plastics ban. Their wish was applauded by Duncan and North Cowichan councillors, sent to the CVRD for debate, then sadly vanished.
But legislative times have changed. At least our councils now have no logical excuse for more plastics foot-dragging.
Please ban these persistently evil plastics now.
Peter W. Rusland
North Cowichan
