Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce hopes the federal government will eventually decide not to appeal the decision that struck down the labelling of plastic manufactured items as toxic substances.
In 2021, the Responsible Plastic Use Coalition (RPUC), comprised of DOW Chemical ULC Canada, Imperial Oil and NOVA Chemicals Corporation and the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, filed a lawsuit to challenge the federal government’s decision to list plastic pollution as “toxic” under CEPA.
On Nov. 16, the federal court ruling determined there was limited scientific evidence to justify the regulations.
The chamber, a non-partisan and non-profit organization, said confirmation that the listing was ‘both unreasonable and unconstitutional’ is significant because of the important economic and community impact that plastics manufacturing has within Central Alberta.
“We support the decision to deny the listing of plastics on the List of Toxic Substances and are appreciative of the work done by the provincial government to protect manufacturing in Central Alberta,” said Red Deer Chamber CEO Scott Robinson, in a statement.
“The chemical industry is a fundamental component of this region’s economic landscape, and it is encouraging to see provincial support for the industry’s continued success. We ask the federal government not to appeal the decision and to remove ‘plastic manufactured items’ from Schedule 1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.”
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RPUC said it supported of the court’s decision to uphold important principles of the Canada Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).
“In the interest of Canadians who rely on plastic products that are essential to everyday life, we believe that the federal government and industry can work collaboratively to reduce plastic waste and we look forward to developing solutions together,” said the RPUC in a statement released last week.
RPUC represents plastics companies that do business in Canada, and three chemical companies that produce the materials.
“We have joined forces because of a shared belief that Canadians deserve a responsible and effective policy approach to reducing plastic waste.”
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On Monday the federal government announced it will appeal the decision.
The ruling itself did not undo the government’s ban on the manufacture and import of six single-use plastics — stir sticks, straws, grocery bags, cutlery, takeout containers and six-pack beverage rings.
The designation of toxicity is necessary for the government to regulate substances, however, so without it the federal regulations would have to be rolled back.
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said he’s determined to make sure that doesn’t happen.
“The body of scientific evidence showing the impacts on human health, on the environment, of plastic pollution is undebatable,” Guilbeault said.
The government has been taking steps to eliminate plastic waste by 2030, aiming to take items that are difficult to recycle out of existence entirely, while making sure the rest are recyclable or reusable.
— with files from Canadian Press