Plastic bag poll to collect opinions of residents

Prove it.

That was the response environmental stewardship coordinator Janet Cooper received once word got out last month about plans to implement a mandatory fee on plastic bags in Jasper. She suggested that residents would like to reduce the number of plastic bags used, and interested parties replied, “Says who?”

As environmental stewardship coordinator, Cooper said her job is to respond to the community’s environmental concerns. She is advised by the environmental committee, which brought plastic bag reduction forward as a priority for her to work on. “I think the fact that plastic bags are bad for the environment is just a given now,” she said. 

But vague suggestions won’t cut it, especially when it comes to a move that business owners and residents alike may oppose. “I need data to be able to prove this is where it’s coming from,” she said. “Council will vote on the decision, and they want proof.” 

To produce that evidence, Cooper said she will begin surveying residents by the last week of September. The poll will ask what course of action respondents prefer when it comes to reducing plastic bag use in Jasper: an education campaign, a mandatory bag fee, or an absolute bag ban.

Three members of the public attended the town’s second meeting to discuss how the poll should be carried out, on Sept. 4 in the emergency services building. It was decided the brief survey will be available both online and in paper formats for two to three weeks, and volunteers may be recruited to do polling on the street. 

Twelve people attended the first meeting on July 28, a group Cooper said hardly represents the town’s opinions as a whole. “But I still honestly believe this is something people in Jasper want,” she said. It was agreed at the first meeting that a mandatory bag fee would be an ideal method to discourage plastic bag use.

The possibility of making a cloth bag branded with the town’s logo available through Jasper Tourism and Commerce was discussed at the last meeting, an option Cooper said the chamber has decided to go ahead with regardless of what happens with plastic bags.

Following the first meeting, bag-fee opposition was heard from the owners of the Jasper Liquor Store and Wine Cellar as well as Robinson’s Foods. Resident Claudine Luisier, who attended both meetings, said she hopes others will offer their input as well. “Make yourself known, make your opinion known,” she said.