Majority of Canadians want plastic ban expanded: survey - CTV News

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Majority of Canadians want plastic ban expanded: survey – CTV News

Published

3 years ago

February 6, 2021

Harry Miller

TORONTO —
The majority of Canadians want to see the federal government step up when it comes to expanding the list of banned single-use plastics, according to a new survey.

According to a poll released by Oceana Canada, two-thirds of Canadians think the federal government should expand its plastic ban to include additional harmful single use plastics.

“Canadians are overwhelmingly concerned about the plastic pollution crisis with 95 per cent saying they were concerned about the impacts on oceans and marine life,” Oceana Canada plastic campaigner Ashley Wallis told CTV News Channel on Saturday.

Last fall the federal government announced a ban of six single-use plastic items that are set to be phased out across the country by 2022. The list includes plastic grocery bags, straws, stir sticks, plastic cutlery, six-pack rings and food containers made from hard-to-recycle plastics.

At the time, Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said retailers will be expected to provide plastic alternatives to customers.

Oceana Canada says the list only covers a “fraction” of what is actually used on a day-to-day basis.

“We know that only nine per cent of plastics are currently recycled in Canada, and we know that the vast majority of plastics that we use are actually challenging to recycle,” said Wallis.

She says Canada’s recycling systems were never designed to handle the volume or complexity of materials on the market. Despite the amount of work that still needs to be done, Wallis recognizes that the government is making good first steps.

“It’s great to see leadership in this space, but if we’re serious about handling this crisis, we need to get more serious about reducing our plastic use and consumption overall,” said Wallis.

The survey of 1,500 Canadians was conducted by Abacus Data. Of those surveyed, most said they want to see the government add more harmful products including hot and cold drink cups, cigarette filters and all forms of polystytrene, commonly known as Styrofoam.

Each of these products are commonly littered and often end up in waterways as a result. The federal government’s initiative to ban six plastic products is part of a larger plan to achieve zero plastic waste by 2030.

But unless additional items are added to the list, Wallis says pollution will only get worse.

“It’s estimated that plastic production is going to double by 2035,” said Wallis.

However, a separate survey by Dalhousie University from last summer suggested that since the beginning of the pandemic, Canadian support for stronger single-use plastic regulations actually fell, possibly due to increased concern about the spread of the virus and the need for plastic-based PPE.

The report suggested that support for stronger regulations on plastics fell to 79 per cent compared to 90 per cent before the pandemic, and support for a total ban fell to 58 per cent, compared to 70 per cent before the pandemic.

Although Wallis said she is optimistic people will change their attitudes towards plastic use, meaningful change will inevitably fall on the government.

“At the end of the day this is a systemic problem that’s going to take legislative action, not just you as an individual making the best choices you can in a world that is constantly inundated with more plastic,” said Wallis.

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In the news today: Tourism operators face heavy debt loads – National Post

Published

4 hours ago

April 23, 2024

Harry Miller

The Canadian Press

Published Apr 23, 2024 • 3 minute read

Canadian tourism operators says the tourism sector hasn’t returned to what it was pre-COVID. Unofficially named “The First Sidewalk” a 700-foot walking trail system to promote eco-tourism is shown in Bella Bella, B.C., on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022. Photo by CHAD HIPOLITO /THE CANADIAN PRESS

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…

Tourism operators face heavy debt, even as business roars back

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Canadian tourism operators says the tourism sector hasn’t returned to what it was pre-COVID.

Many businesses report carrying a heavy debt load, with Vancouver-based ecotourism company Maple Leaf Adventures saying it’s carrying it’s heaviest debt load in 38 years.

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Co-owner Maureen Gordon says while she and her competitors are recovering, higher interest rates are putting a damper on the post-COVID rebound.

Tourism Industry Association of Canada C-E-O Beth Potter says while the sector brought in 109-billion dollars in revenue last year, the federal government must help out by bringing in a new low interest loan program.

Tourism Minister Soraya Martinez Ferrada has said tourism operators have been affected by the warmest winter on record, but will be helped by the federal carbon rebate.

Here’s what else we’re watching …

Trudeau to make announcement in Saskatoon today

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be in Saskatoon today, where he will make an announcement highlighting measures focused on youth, education, and health that were contained in last week’s budget.

Joining Trudeau at the announcement in Saskatchewan’s largest city are minister for northern affairs Dan Vandal and Women and Gender Equality and Youth Minister Marci Ien.

Trudeau has faced conflict with the Saskatchewan Party government, whose leader, Premier Scott Moe, has been a vocal and long-standing opponent of the federal carbon levy.

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Moe is one of several premiers who have asked Trudeau to host a meeting to discuss alternatives to the consumer carbon price.

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‘Perfect storm’: Quebec farmer protests continue

Quebec farmers are continuing a series of protests that have brought slow rolling tractors to communities across the province’s agricultural regions.

The president of Quebec’s farmers union Martin Caron says producers are struggling with higher interest rates, growing paperwork and fees on plastic products, like containers of seeds, fertilizer and pesticides.

His organization is asking the current Coalition Avenir Quebec government to ensure farmers can get loans with interest rates of three per cent.

A spokesperson for Quebec’s agriculture minister says farmers can get emergency financial aid through a new program and that the government is consulting with the farmers union about reducing paperwork.

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Study shows caribou growth at wolves’ expense

New research suggests western Canada’s caribou population is growing.

But the same study also shows the biggest reason for the rebound is the slaughter of hundreds of wolves, a policy which will likely need to continue.

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Thirty-four researchers compared notes on herds in Alberta and British Columbia based on a study in Ecological Applications and found between 1991 and 2023, the caribou population dropped by half.

However, over the last few years the numbers have begun to slowly rise, as it’s estimated there are now more than 1500 caribou than there were had not restoration effort been made.

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Second World War hangar in Edmonton burns in fire

An aircraft hangar built during the Second World War at Edmonton’s former municipal airport has been destroyed by fire.

A spokesman for the City of Edmonton says in an email firefighters were called to Hangar 11 just before 7 p.m. Monday.

The city’s email says 11 fire crews were dispatched to the scene to deal with the heavy smoke and flames and the wooden building later collapsed.

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How a Newfoundland town shaped creepy ‘King Tide’

A new movie shot in Newfoundland showcases a community heavily reliant on a magical child.

“The King Tide” is about an isolated villagers having their lives forever changed after a mysterious infant washes up on their shores, the sole survivor of a devastating boat wreck.

They name the baby Isla, raise and learn she has healing powers promising immunity from injury and illness.

As the years pass, they become reliant on Isla’s abilities, but when her powers start to fade, a panic sets in as the community begins to fracture.

The movie was shot by Newfoundlander Christian Sparkes in Keels, Newfoundland, a former bustling fishing community which he says he’s been looking to film in for years, but couldn’t until recently due to the cost.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2024.

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We're still stockpiling reusable bags. Big grocers have adopted solutions, but experts have concerns – CBC News

Published

8 hours ago

April 23, 2024

Harry Miller

Canada’s plastic bag ban has had an unintended consequence: a proliferation of reusable bags piling up in basements, closets and, eventually, landfills.

“They’re everywhere,” said environmental researcher Tony Walker. “We’re drowning in them, and we shouldn’t be.”

To combat the problem, several of Canada’s big grocers have introduced solutions. Last week, Walmart launched a free national recycling pilot program for the retailer’s reusable blue bags. Competitors Sobeys and chains owned by Loblaw Companies Ltd. use recyclable paper bags for grocery delivery.

But some environmental experts argue that paper bags are also problematic and that the best solutions are those that help customers actually reuse their reusable bags.

“We just can’t keep giving [them] out,” said Walker, a professor at Dalhousie University’s School for Resource and Environmental Studies in Halifax. “We’re only meant to have a few of them, and we’re meant to use them until they fall apart.”

In late 2022, the federal government rolled out a ban on the manufacture, import and sale of several single-use plastics, including checkout bags. The regulations are being contested in court, but in the meantime, they remain in effect.

A man and a woman stand in their living room piling up blue Walmart reusable bags. — The Selas take stock of the reusable bags they’ve amassed from Walmart grocery delivery. They’ve signed up for the retailer’s free national recycling pilot program. (Darek Zdzienicki/CBC)

The regulations have made single-use shopping bags scarce in Canada, but they’ve also led to the proliferation of reusable bags, especially for grocery delivery.

“It just creates more waste, which is what we’re trying to avoid in the first place,” Walmart customer Udi Sela said in a CBC News interview in late 2022.

At the time, Sela, who lives in Maple, Ont., estimated his family had acquired about 300 reusable Walmart bags via grocery delivery.

“We can’t return them, we can’t do much with them.”

Now, a little more than a year later, Walmart has launched a pilot project to address the problem.

It allows customers to pack up their unwanted reusable Walmart blue bags and ship them — at no charge — to a facility where they’ll get a second life.

How it works

According to Walmart, bags in good condition will be laundered and donated to charity, primarily Food Banks Canada. Damaged bags will get recycled into other materials. Reusable bags typically can’t go in blue bins because they’re costly and difficult to recycle.

Customers must sign up for Walmart’s program, and enrolment is limited.

Jennifer Barbazza, Walmart’s senior manager of sustainability, said the retailer will fine-tune the details as the program progresses.

“[We] know that some customers have more reusable bags than maybe they need,” she said. “One of the things that we’re really excited to learn about from the pilot is customer acceptance and customer feedback.”

WATCH | Is your home overrun with reusable bags? Join the club:

Is your home overrun with reusable bags? You’re not alone.

3 months ago

Duration 7:25

Reusable bags are living rent free in closets and car trunks across the country. Most major retailers made the switch away from single-use plastic bags about a year ago, but it’s taking time for some customers to catch on. They’re forgetting to bring their bags with them, and buying more every week.

Udi Sela has already signed up.

“I definitely think it’s a step in the right direction,” he said in an interview on Friday. “It’s something that needed to be done a while ago. God knows we’ve got a ton of bags kind of piled up.”

He said he’s concerned that some customers may find mailing the bags a hurdle. However, it’s not deterring Sela, who soon plans to ship hundreds.

Passing the buck?

Not everyone is keen on Walmart’s project. Emily Alfred, a waste campaigner with Toronto Environmental Alliance, said donating the bags to the food bank is just passing on the problem.

“We need to remove waste from the system entirely, and just sending these somewhere else for someone else to deal with is not really a solution,” she said.

Alfred said a better option is a program Walmart piloted in Guelph, Ont., in 2022. For a fee, customers could check out reusable bags from an in-store kiosk and later return them to be cleaned and reused.

“That’s a real circular reuse system,” she said.

Two Walmart employees stand next to a kiosk here customers could, for a fee, get a resuable bag. — Walmart launched a pilot program in Guelph, Ont., in 2022. For a fee, customers could check out reusable bags from an in-store kiosk and then return them to be cleaned and reused. (Walmart Canada)

Walmart’s Barbazza said the retailer is continuing to explore different reusable bag programs, including ones placed in stores.

She also said she’s confident Canada’s food banks will make good use of the bags.

“There’s definitely a need for sturdy items to distribute materials to the food bank clients.”

The paper problem

Among Canada’s major grocers, only Walmart offers a reusable bag program for all customers.

Loblaw recently switched from reusable to recyclable paper bags for grocery delivery. Sobeys did not respond to requests for comment, but according to its website, the grocer also uses paper bags and “reusable options” for home delivery.

Several environmental experts say paper bags aren’t a good solution, because their production leaves a sizable carbon footprint.

“Paper bags are a problem,” Alfred said. “It takes a lot of energy to recycle paper, takes a lot of trees and energy to make new paper.”

Loblaw said it continues to explore a variety of more sustainable solutions. “It’s a challenge we’re committed to addressing,” spokesperson Dave Bauer said in an email.

Emily Alfred holding two reusable bags. — Emily Alfred, a waste campaigner with Toronto Environmental Alliance, says sending reusable bags to charity is just passing on the problem to someone else and that paper bags aren’t a solution. (Sophia Harris/CBC)

Both Walker and Alfred applaud Metro for its grocery delivery program, because the grocer, which operates in Ontario and Quebec, reuses delivery materials.

Metro said customers can get their goods delivered in a cardboard box or reusable bags, which can be returned and used for another delivery. Or customers can opt for a plastic bin and remove their groceries from it upon arrival.

Metro does not offer similar programs for in-store shoppers.

Alfred said the federal government should introduce regulations that mandate retailers adopt effective reusable bag programs for all customers.

“It’s up to our governments and people to demand that these companies do better,” she said.

But Walker suggested that the regulations would be hard to enforce and that incentives could be a better tactic.

For example, if retailers increased the price of reusable bags, shoppers might be less likely to forget them when they head to the store, he said.

“When the cost is a disincentive to do an activity, people change their behaviour.”

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