Fort Frances will move to ban plastic shopping bags next year.
Town council gave approval to the idea at their meeting last night, paving the way for a more formal by-law coming to council at a later date.
The ban would go into effect next year but no enforcement would take place until 2022.
Councillor Doug Judson, who spearheaded the effort, hopes businesses will comply by the time the ban comes.
“We got to pull the trigger on this kind of stuff eventually. You can only kick the can on making these changes so long. Two years is a very, very, generous timeline for businesses to adapt,” says Judson.
Mayor June Caul, who also supported the plan, says they owe it to future generations to proceed.
The vote was unanimous but there was some apprehension from some councillors.
Councillor Mike Behan says he’s would have preferred a ban on a voluntary basis but still sees it making a difference at the landfill. He also hopes it will spur other municipalities to consider similar bans or even get the federal or provincial government to move on legislation.
Councillor Rick Wiedenhoef also supported the ban but didn’t want to see big penalties slapped on businesses that didn’t comply. He rather see the town work with them to make the change.
