The three political parties in the Yukon legislature argued last Wednesday about the new government ban on single-use plastics.

The subject came up during a ministerial statement by Highway and Public Works Minister Nils Clarke.

“Waste is an issue here in the territory and around the world. Disposing of waste is expensive, requires significant effort, and, when not done properly, negatively impacts our environment,” Clarke said.

“We know that single-use shopping bags are now just one aspect of the waste problem that we face today, but reducing their use and disposal is an important step that we can take to address waste in our territory,” Clarke added.

“As of January 1, 2022, single-use shopping bags will be banned in the Yukon. Reusable bags, as well as other reusable products, are in most of our homes already. We all just need to use them more.

“This is about making new habits. This is why we are giving Yukoners three months to get into the habit of bringing their own bags with them every day.

“We are also giving retailers enough time to adapt to these new changes and to use up their supply of single-use bags. We have a suite of signs, posters, and stickers that retailers can get from the staff of the Department of Environment to help people remember to BYOB — bring your own bags,” the minister said.

Clarke continued his statement by stating “the simple fact is that plastic waste is a problem, whether it’s the bags strewn in trees around our waste management facilities or the microplastics in our waterways.

“Paper bags are not so great, either. While they do not create the same stress on the waste management systems, as a biodegradable option, paper bags are resource-intensive to make.

“Their production contributes to the release of chemical by-products, pollution, and emissions, and their transportation to the Yukon from producers in the south only adds to their overall emissions.

“A ban on paper shopping bags will come into effect a year later, on January 1, 2023.

“Either way, the message is the same: We can all do better. We can all think about decreasing our reliance on single-use products that quickly end up in the trash.

“The ban on single-use bags is just one of the steps that we are taking toward a broader ban of single-use plastics in the Yukon.”

It also aligns with the federal government’s plan to achieve zero plastic waste by 2030, and aligns with what the government heard from Yukoners, Clarke said.

“Since 2019, we have been talking to Yukoners, First Nations, businesses, and organizations about this issue. Our initial engagement asked about charging a fee for single-use bags.

“What we heard was that, generally, people preferred a ban to a surcharge, and last year our government made a commitment to ban single-use bags.”

Wade Istchenko of the Yukon Party said, “On this topic today, this is another example of the Yukon government dropping the ball on consultation. Much like the (waste) transfer station issue, there has been a lack of consultation with the single-use bag ban.

“In this case, instead of residents who are up in arms over a lack of answers from the government, it’s business owners who are left literally holding the bag, wondering what’s going on,” Istchenko said.

“The order-in-council making the single-use bag ban was puzzling to anyone who read it. The OIC signed on Sept. 29 changing the Environment Act gave two potential dates for the ban to take effect. One was October 1, 2021; the second date listed, according to the OIC, had the new rules taking effect on the day the OIC is filed with the registrar of regulations.

“A press release issued on mid-Friday afternoon on the potential first day of the new rules listed the effective date for the ban on the plastic bags as January 1, 2022,” the Kluane MLA added.

“Paper bags would be outlawed a year later. This is another example of the government forgetting to communicate until after they have brought a policy forward.”

The Yukon Party did a quick check with a few of the shops that use single-use bags, Istchenko said.

“They were completely unaware of when and how the ban was taking effect. They didn’t know what their obligations would be or what they would be expected to do.”

Istchenko also asked what businesses are supposed to do with any surplus stock after the New Year.

“So, after Jan. 1, if a business has customized single-use plastic bags left over, what do they do with them?” he asked.

“They can’t send them back to the supplier and they break the law if they use them, so businesses will be left to throw out single-use bags without them having a single use.”

Emily Tredger of the NDP also weighed in on the issue.

“We have known for a long time that reducing our use of plastics is a priority for Yukoners,” she said.

“In the past years, we have heard over and over again that Yukoners were leading the way, and they were waiting for government to catch up.

“Mayo, Dawson, and Carmacks already had single-use plastic bans in place, but when the Yukon NDP brought forward a motion to do the same, the government told us that a ban wasn’t possible,” Tredger recalled.

“Later, we were told that it was possible, but it would take a while. In November 2019, my colleague, the member for Takhini-Kopper King (Kate White), tabled another motion, this time urging the government to stick to its original timeline of a ban by the spring of 2020. They said that they thought they could do it by the fall of 2020. Both timelines sailed past,” Tredger pointed out.

“When we were negotiating (the April minority government support agreement) with the Liberals, we made it one of our priorities along with dental care, aggressive climate change targets, and a minimum wage increase.

“We secured a commitment to ban single-use plastic bags in the Yukon. When the political will is there, it’s amazing what can happen,” said the Whitehorse Centre MLA.

“Now, our current supply of plastic bags isn’t going to disappear overnight, so we also need to make sure that the plastics we still rely on can be recycled. That means recycled by everyone, not just Yukoners living in Whitehorse.

“Unfortunately, that is not the direction that the Liberal government seems to be going in,” Tredger added.

“Meanwhile, in communities across the Yukon, transfer stations are being closed, so Yukoners living in these places don’t even have a safe place to take their garbage, never mind their recycling.”

She asked what kind of standard of living is being provided to citizens “when they don’t even have a place for their garbage?

“How can we possibly say that we’re acting to protect our environment when we aren’t even supporting our citizens with basic waste management?

“So, yes, I am proud that the Yukon NDP has secured a ban on single-use plastic bags, but I hope that every step of the way toward meaningful climate action and environmental protection will not be such a fight,” Tredger added.

Yukoners have made it clear they want action to support rural and urban Yukoners with waste management, environmental protection and climate, she said.

“Yukoners are clear: we have shown that when there is political will, it can happen. It is time for our government to listen.”

Clarke fired back, by saying “Alleging that we introduced the ban secretly without telling businesses is not responsible, and nothing could be further from the truth. This is not the leadership that Yukoners expect of our territory.

“We have engaged with Yukoners and businesses extensively about this issue,” Clarke added.

In 2019, he recalled, the government considered introducing a fee on single-use shopping bags and solicited feedback.

“What we heard from industry, retailers, and Yukoners was that they would prefer a simple ban on bags,” Clarke said.

“In response to that, last year, our government made a commitment to ban single-use bags. We went back out to speak to Yukoners and stakeholders again at the start of this year.

“We made it clear that the bag ban was happening and what we really needed were specifics on the rollout. We asked how we should do it — timing and exemptions — because it was no longer a matter of ‘if’ but ‘how’ and ‘how soon.’

“We wanted to make sure that we had a good understanding of how we would implement this in a way that worked for our industry partners. We all have a role to play in waste management in our territory, and we need to work together.”