Skip to content

Courtenay closer to regulating plastic

Courtenay council passed third reading of a bylaw to regulate the business use of single-use plastics.
16431124_web1_Council
Courtenay council

Courtenay council passed third reading of a bylaw to regulate the business use of single-use plastics.

A number of groups have urged council to ban single-use plastic bags at point of sale. Estimates indicate 15 per cent of waste in the region originates from plastic sources.

“This has been a long time coming,” Mayor Bob Wells said at Monday’s meeting. “It’s great to see this happen.”

Other B.C. municipalities have adopted similar bylaws.

•Council approved a 2019/20 police contract with a cap of $6,315,290, of which the City is responsible for 90 per cent. Of 64 Comox Valley RCMP members, 21 are funded by the province, 31.4 by Courtenay and 11.6 by Comox. The previous budget provided for 30.4 members.

•Council approved a Doug Hillian motion to direct staff to explore policy and options for collaboration between developers, stewardship groups and government, regarding the stewardship of land and water impacted by development. Hillian notes the “tremendous amount of expertise” among community groups, which tend to come to the table after mistakes have been made.