The question of a single-use plastic bag ban is popping up on council agendas all over Vancouver Island, with Victoria and Saanich , and Nanaimo councillors of banning the bags during a special council meeting on Monday night (Dec.11).

Victoria city council sent a letter to the CRD and neighbouring municipalities hoping to gain regional support and provide consistency. The CRD subsequently distributed to the municipalities a Draft Model Bylaw for Single Use Plastic Bag Ban.

Oak Bay discussed the issue at Monday nightB次元官网网址檚 committee of the whole meeting.

As both staff and financial resources will be required to move this project forward, the committee was presented with a staff recommendation to refer the issue to councilB次元官网网址檚 next priority setting session so it may be considered in the context of other council priorities.

Mayor Nils Jensen suggested a more wait-and-see approach. B次元官网网址淲hether or not it is going to be successful is something we may want to allow Victoria to find out before we go down the road of looking at this. I talked to Mayor Lisa Helps and the city will have a review a year or two years after the bylaw goes in. That will allow us to monitor their success, or lack there of, before we embark. It is very kind of them to be the regional guinea pigs. I think we should bring this back on the agenda once Victoria has done their review.B次元官网网址�

Coun. Tara Ney echoed the mayorB次元官网网址檚 recommendation: B次元官网网址淚 think we should wait to see if they can collect the evidence to show that it is changing consumer behaviour in reducing the carry-out consumption. I think an educational approach is more appropriate at this time than a regulatory approach.B次元官网网址�

The committee of the whole unanimously approved the motion to receive the information but not act on it at this time.