Nova Scotia’s plastic bag ban will go ahead as planned at the end of the month, Premier Stephen McNeil confirmed Tuesday in a media briefing.
Prior to the onset of COVID-19, Nova Scotia was set to ban single-use plastic bags at the end of October. That would mean businesses would no longer be able to provide single-use plastic shopping bags at the checkout.
Last month, the Department of Environment said it was considering pushing the date back due to concerns about the use of reusable bags during a pandemic.
“We do understand that there is some emerging science around reusable bags that’s starting to show up that potentially might have some concern,” Environment Minister Gordon Wilson said at the time.
The department said it was consulting with public health on the matter.
Speaking at Tuesday’s briefing, Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health, said he’s told the department “there’s nothing from a COVID reason that would require them to delay that.”
However, he added the retail sector does not want another burden as it deals with the impacts of COVID-19. Strang said he did not know when a public announcement on the ban would happen.
McNeil then chimed in: “It will proceed as scheduled.” He did not elaborate on the plan.
CBC News has reached out to the Environment Department for comment.
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