After Montreal became the latest big city to ban single-use plastic bags Tuesday, some Winnipeggers are questioning if it’s time for the city to follow suit.
Currently, more than 70 per cent of Manitobans use the bags, but a study done by the province shows that number has dramatically decreased since 2010.
READ MORE: Montreal’s plastic bag ban to kick off 2018
So is it time for Winnipeg to ditch the bags altogether? At least one councillor thinks the city needs to take a look at the idea.
Winnipeg wouldn’t be the first place in the province to ban single use: Leaf Rapids and Thompson both have not distributed the bags in years, and across the country starting in July they’ll no longer be allowed in Victoria. Vancouver is currently considering a similar move.
The idea of a Winnipeg ban was floated in 2008 and in 2012, but both times was shut down due to research and a debate over who was actually responsible for the new rule.
READ MORE: Plastic bags turned into sleeping mats for Winnipeg’s homeless
St. Vital Councillor Brian Mayes said on Tuesday that the group in charge of Winnipeg’s green initiatives, which he heads, should take another look.
“The Environment Committee meets for the first time this year on the fourth, so it might be time to start talking,” Mayes said. “We’d have to get the province on our side and take a pretty long look at it.
“I think it’s time for us to reevaluate.”
Grocery shoppers that spoke to Global News said Tuesday they’d love to see a ban, but that they’re skeptical if all Winnipeggers would be receptive.
Currently, hundreds of thousands of bags end up in landfills, despite city efforts to get residents to reuse or recycle the bags at their nearest grocer.