Manitoba Premier promises plastic bag ban

The newly re-elected premier of Manitoba is promising to ban single-use plastic bags in that province.

Less than two weeks after winning a second term, Premier Brian Pallister said his Progressive Conservative government will begin consultations with the private sector on ways to eliminate the use of plastic bags.

Pallister’s move – which had not been part of the PC’s list of campaign promises – comes on the heels of two other provinces that have enacted plastic bag bans: Prince Edward Island started in July and a ban is close to being implemented in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Federally, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in June that his Liberal government was starting regulatory work to ban toxic single-use plastics.

And corporately, retailers such as Sobeys have already promised to move toward a nation-wide ban.

“We think that many Manitobans understand that this is an item that could be dealt with, needs to be dealt with and hasn’t been dealt with for a long time,” Pallister told media outlets on Sept. 18. “I think it’s a smart move.”