Following in Victoria’s footsteps, the District of Saanich is banning single-use plastic bags.
On Monday, Saanich council voted in favour of adopting the ban, which will come into effect in December 2019.
The Saanich council originally passed a motion to ban plastic bags last year, but decided to delay any action until the B.C. Supreme Court ruled on whether or not municipalities had jurisdiction.
Since the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Victoria’s ban, which went into effect on July 1, Saanich is continuing with its plans.
The proposed timeline
The Saanich council is planning to give the new bylaw its first and second reading in January 2019.
Public and industry consultations would then take place in April.
Following the consultations, the ban’s third and final reading would be held in May.
Adoption of the bylaw is then planned for June, with an effective date sometime in December 2019.
After the effective date, businesses would have until July 2020 to use up their remaining plastic bag stock.
