A number of groups are urging Courtenay council to initiate a ban on single-use plastic bags at point of sale.
Kaye Moynihan of the Comox Valley Nurses for Health & the Environment, and the CV Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of B.C., said the bags comprise a significant portion of marine debris.
“They’re a huge threat to the marine environment,” Moynihan said Monday in a presentation to council.
The Council of Canadians, the Sustainability Action Group for the Environment and the Global Learning Initiative of North Island College support the Valley-wide campaign. A petition with nearly 200 signatures states that an average Canadian uses up to 200 bags a year.
The groups have also appealed to Comox council. Cumberland council has asked staff to prepare a bylaw for banning single-use plastic bags.
•Habitat for Humanity Vancouver Island North asked council for a donation, or a reduced price purchase, of City-owned surplus lands to enable the group to continue building affordable homes for families in need.
Last month at its Lake Trail Road build project, Habitat handed keys over to its “12th and 13th families served,” in Courtenay. There are eight more homes to be constructed in the next two years at 1330 Lake Trail Rd.
“We define success by families served,” Habitat’s executive director Pat McKenna said. “Housing is critical right now.”
•The City is in the process of updating the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Urban Systems was hired to help prepare the 10-year document that provides a framework for decisions related to land, facilities, amenities, programs and resources. Among other things, the plan considers the condition of trails, parks, buildings, fields and playgrounds. Staff and consultants have met with numerous groups such as the Boys and Girls Club, the CV Art Gallery and the CV Road Runners. A survey garnered nearly 1,000 responses from the public which also helped inform the draft plan for council consideration.