Plastic bag ban faces roadblocks
January 11, 2008
As Lana Popham took the next step in her quest to ban disposable plastic bags from the Capital Region, she hit another wall.
At this point, the greatest hindrance to Popham’s mission is confusion over who would be responsible for enacting such a bylaw – the Capital Regional District or individual municipalities.
“I would have liked to have spoken last night,” Popham said, referring to Monday night’s council meeting. “But I thought it quite commendable of Vic (Derman) to bring forward the motion so early in the year.
Coun. Derman added a resolution to Monday’s council meeting to help Popham with her cause, recommending councillors talk to CRD board members about drastically reducing the number of plastic bags in the region.
Popham’s already spoken to the CRD, though. In December, she faced the Solid Waste Advisory Committee, which told her it was up to each municipality to ban plastic bags.
Monday, Saanich council discussed the need for a bylaw against excessive use of the bags, but didn’t take any real action.
“This is a regional issue and actually more of a provincial issue,” Coun. Vicki Sanders said, though she didn’t specifically point to which body could make a bylaw happen.
However, moments before, Derman had said, “This is something at this time the regional authority doesn’t have the power to enact. We should use the CRD to co-ordinate municipal action in this region,” he added.
Coun. Judy Brownoff highlighted her wish to see one such bylaw, stating a survey of 20 grocery stores determined approximately 25 million plastic bags are used every year in the Victoria area.
With Saanich council not getting far with the resolution, Popham is taking her case to North Saanich council in the coming week.
“The last thing you can do is get discouraged,” she said. “Maybe North Saanich will end up being the leader on this one.”
ecardone@saanichnews.com
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
for the Provincial Constituency of Saanich South, Victoria, B.C.
- Lana Popham
- Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Elected as a Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for the Constituency of Saanich South on May 12, 2009. New Democratic Opposition Critic for the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands. Raised on Quadra Island and has an undergraduate degree from the University of British Columbia. Extensive track record as a community leader, advocate and environmental activist.
Community History
- Member of the Legislative Assembly of B.C., 2009-
- Planning Transportation & Economic Development Committee - Saanich
- Peninsula Agricultural Commission - Commissioner
- Island Organic Producers Association - Chair of the Certification Committee
- Agri-Food Initiative Advisory Committee
- Central Saanich Little League - Treasurer
- Brentwood Elementary School - Compost Committee
Visit me on Facebook!
There is more to me than plastic bags.....
Nomination
SAANICH – Lana Popham, local business owner and community activist, was nominated on March 8th in Saanich South as the New Democrat candidate for the May 12 provincial election.
“I’ve spent my whole life speaking up, speaking out and speaking for things I believe in,” Popham told over 100 supporters today.
Popham said she is looking forward to holding Gordon Campbell and the B.C. Liberals to account by running in the May election with Carole James and the New Democrats.
“Gordon Campbell is not in the business of representing communities, he’s not in the business of representing you or me – he’s in the business of mis-representing our interests,” said Popham. “I am proud to be from Saanich and have the experience and drive to take our community’s concerns to the Legislature.”
Popham owns and operates The Barking Dog Vineyard - a successful Saanich small business and the first Certified Organic Vineyard on Vancouver Island – and is currently chair of the Certification Committee for Island Organic Producers Association and past President of the Vancouver Island Grape Growers Association. She’s a member of Saanich’s Planning Transportation & Economic Development Committee and is an active parent at her son’s school.
Popham’s “Think Outside the Bag” campaign has been a very successful on the ground environmental initiative that encourages people to switch to reusable bags.
With the support of her husband Jon, a firefighter for Oak Bay, and their 10 year old son, Popham is already campaigning to win a seat in the Legislature on May 12.
Books I love.....
- The Death and Life of Great American Cities - Jane Jacobs
- In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan
- The Geography of Nowhere - James Howard Kunstler
- Heat :How to stop the planet from burning - George Monbiot
- The Long Emergency - James Howard Kunstler
- Urban Meltdown - Clive Doucet
- Home From Nowhere - James Howard Kunstler
- Urban Nation - Alan Broadbent
- The Economies of Cities - Jane Jacobs
- Dark Age Ahead - Jane Jacobs
- Farmageddon - Brewster kneen
Michael Pollan
Climate Change
Some interesting letters I have received:
Hi,
I listened to the discussion on the radio about plastic bags this morning. Seven years ago, when I immigrated to Canada from Germany I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw how plastic bags are used here. Back in Germany we’ve charge for them for years and it is normal to use baskets and cotton bags. Also, most stores have a corner where they pile up the boxes they receive the goods in and people are free to use them. Plastic bags are completely out and you almost feel bad if you have to buy one.
We are so behind here and it is truly just a question of habit, not convenience. I am glad there are signs that things will become more environmentally friendly over here.
Carola Daffner
Dear Lana
I wholeheartedly support your campaign to ban disposable plastic bags and wonder, since they have caused such harm to so much of our environment and promise to do so way into the future, why they were presented for general use and why were we allowed ... encouraged? ... to use them in the first place. Someone must have known!
I live in View Royal where concern has prompted the town's use of bio-degradable dog litter bags and now also, more recently, some action toward using bio-degradable plastic garbage bags. Are they really bio-degradable and part of a solution?
More questions:( rhetorical, since I don't expect replies..you are busy enough)
Is recycling of soft plastic available in the CRD? Presumably, not. Do you know why? What really has been happening to the grocery bags that we have been returning in good faith to the grocery stores?
Thank you for your caring and dedication
Andria
I listened to the discussion on the radio about plastic bags this morning. Seven years ago, when I immigrated to Canada from Germany I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw how plastic bags are used here. Back in Germany we’ve charge for them for years and it is normal to use baskets and cotton bags. Also, most stores have a corner where they pile up the boxes they receive the goods in and people are free to use them. Plastic bags are completely out and you almost feel bad if you have to buy one.
We are so behind here and it is truly just a question of habit, not convenience. I am glad there are signs that things will become more environmentally friendly over here.
Carola Daffner
Dear Lana
I wholeheartedly support your campaign to ban disposable plastic bags and wonder, since they have caused such harm to so much of our environment and promise to do so way into the future, why they were presented for general use and why were we allowed ... encouraged? ... to use them in the first place. Someone must have known!
I live in View Royal where concern has prompted the town's use of bio-degradable dog litter bags and now also, more recently, some action toward using bio-degradable plastic garbage bags. Are they really bio-degradable and part of a solution?
More questions:( rhetorical, since I don't expect replies..you are busy enough)
Is recycling of soft plastic available in the CRD? Presumably, not. Do you know why? What really has been happening to the grocery bags that we have been returning in good faith to the grocery stores?
Thank you for your caring and dedication
Andria