A local political candidate has written the Environment Minister, looking for a ban on single-use plastics.
Danny Celovsky is the Green Party candidate in the Bay of Quinte riding, and wrote Catherine McKenna, demanding the plastics be eliminated.
Celovsky says the impact on pollution is obvious, escalating, and urgent. He adds that only a ban on their use will solve it.
His request includes product packaging, food-service convenience, straws, cutlery, containers, and more.
All plastic coated products, such as beverage containers are part of his request as well.
Below of the letter submitted to Quinte News by Danny Celovsky
As a Canadian and the candidate in the Bay of Quinte Riding for the Green Party of Canada, I formally demand immediate action on the banning of single-use plastics across Canada, with the following elements:
- All single-use plastics including product packaging, food-service convenience, straws, cutlery, containers, bags, etc. are to be included.
- All plastic coated products (such as beverage containers lined with plastic coatings) are to be included.
- Penalties of up to $10,000 per day at enforcement levels of zero-tolerance.
- A formal complaint and whistle-blower toll-free line to be established to assist enforcement efforts.
- Ban to take effect within 30 days
This should be voted on via an open and recorded vote in the House of Commons and that the binding and enforcing legislation be written into law to include its full effect.
Most find it be unconscionable that the practice of using these products be allowed to continue in the face of strong evidence of their negative impacts on our environment and the ecology of the planet’s life-bearing systems. Recycling programs, while well intentioned, are a complete failure with only 9% recycling efficiency. It is further unconscionable that the public has been misled by the recycling industry into a false sense of trust regarding the re-purposing of these materials.
It becomes obvious that the elimination of these polluting substances be initiated at their source. Their proliferation is so extensive that consumers have to organize themselves just to share experiences and approaches to avoid them! (For example, The Zero Waste Countdown Podcast). When consumers have to take such proactive steps to mitigate the proliferation of these substances; there is no excuse for government inaction.
Canadians expect federal responsibility to alleviate the efforts of community-by-community action for a national problem. Individual communities should not be required to bear the burden of taking local actions one-by-one when this ecologically-abusive behaviour occurs across our Nation and is recognized as harmful and requiring action. It is a national and global problem; it is escalating, urgently requiring strong leadership and decisive action.
This is not a new problem. Its impacts and need for action have been called on by the New Democratic Party. The Ontario Provincial NDP is seeking to “phase-out” single-use plastics by 2024. The federal NDP are calling for a ban by 2022. This is not enough. Our corporations and polluters are smart – and I believe they are quite capable of making the required adjustments in their operations in the time-frame proposed. Further, they have been well-aware of the harm of their activities and could foresee this action for a ban taking place.
If some statistics and facts are required, here are some presented on December 20, 2018 https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/05/plastics-facts-infographics-ocean-pollution/
The most significant statistic is that the production of plastics is expected to increase by 150% between 2012 and 2050. This is not only crazy and backwards – it is immoral given the facts of the impact of this pollution. Our industries are demonstrating very poor and harmful decision-making – which requires legislation, enforcement and penalties.
Polluters are finding plastics to be a very useful tool to sell their products. Yet, they do not factor in the polluting costs of their activities. While the product itself can be consumed in a few seconds, their plastic packaging is dumped into our environment where it can take centuries to decompose. Polluters need to pay the full cost of their pollution. This is not only fair – it is moral.
The problem is defined. Placing a complete and immediate ban is recognized as the only solution. So, on behalf of all Canadians, I call for the federal government to ACT. This is a crisis that requires action.
Bay of Quinte Green Candidate Danny Celovsky (Photo: http://celovsky.com)
