The Squamish Chief editorial team has selected 10 top themes, events and issues for the year in our coverage. This story is one in a series of those.
It was the first big promise the new council made with respect to the environment.
Earlier in the year, after being urged by a group of Howe Sound Secondary and Squamish Elementary students, council asked staff to draft a bylaw that would ban plastic checkout bags and straws in town by the end of 2019.
However, as more research was done into the matter, council started to back away from an outright ban.
Advocates pointed out that there were no suitable replacements for plastic straws for people with disabilities. The material is flexible, can accommodate hot and cold liquids and is sanitary — something plant-based and metal straws haven’t been able to match.
On the other hand, staff found that banning plastic bags could inadvertently lead to the increased use of other types of bags that have a worse carbon footprint. These include paper bags and cloth bags.
Council decided to refrain from banning plastic bags and instead opted for a fee system. It’s hoped that this will reduce the amount of plastic bags used.
Plastic straws will stay on an on-demand basis.
Council voted in a split decision to forgo asking the province for permission to implement the bylaw.
A recent ruling from the B.C. Court of Appeal found that Victoria’s ban on plastic bags was unlawful because the city didn’t seek permission from the Ministry of the Environment before implementing that regulation.
Victoria is trying to appeal that decision to the Supreme Court of Canada, though it’s unclear if that court will hear the case.
In light of that, some Squamish councillors and staff wondered if it would be best to approach the province before implementing the plastics reduction, as forgoing approval could create a legal vulnerability.
However, Mayor Karen Elliott said that because the bylaw was a reduction rather than a ban, it was well within the municipality’s jurisdiction to implement the regulation.
As a result, the bylaw was officially adopted as of Dec. 17.
