The City of Calgary is considering a motion by Ald. John Mar to ban the use of plastic bags.
And on the surface this appears to be a good thing, a step in the right direction, Calgary finally becoming a greener, more responsible city.
Except, of course, it's not. Not even slightly. It's classic misdirection - the oldest trick in the book.
Because, in fact, there is absolutely no impetus by Council, the Mayor or the City to get even slightly green. Not even slightly, not even a bit.
The city is still expanding. There are no brakes whatsoever on the urban sprawl that expands ever further out, ever uglier, like a malignant sore upon the countryside. A once very pretty countryside, I might add, now paved over will vinyl sided dreams of affluence, cookie-cutter middle class visions of wealth and conspicuous consumption. There is still no mandatory recycling program, which would save the landfills 100 times what plastic bags generate. There is nothing for public transport (and to those who would argue, I would suggest you try and map a journey between random points in the city, then make it your job to commute them. And see if you're still so enchanted). Many of our neighborhoods are built ENTIRELY without pedestrian access - no sidewalks or transit to service them, no shops or services built within reasonable walking distance. And cars are still every environmentalists nightmare.
The list goes on. And on. And on.
But it looks good, it looks "Progressive" without the threat, the danger, of being Progressive. It's the nickel thrown at a beggar to salve a troubled conscience, to impress a vapid date or co-worker. It's not a solution.
In context with real leadership and a desire to make our city waste free, a leader in Environmental concerns, it's nothing. Less than nothing even.
Consider this - With the bags gone, what incentives will the city offer to reduce packaging, which accounts for several times more, by volume and weight, the rubbish in our landfills? Think of Christmas, the paper, plastic packages, piles of cardboard, most, if not all, bound for the landfill. And plastics - even bags, offer some potential for being recycled. Does the city have a plan on the table to address this? The packaging of foods - cereal boxes, tin cans, jars - how does the city propose to deal with this? Do they even propose to?
I doubt it. The plastic bag ban is the nickel thrown at the beggers, the beggars in this instance being those troublesome environmentalists concerned about a future our politicians, conservatives and corporations are busy stealing from us and our children. If you raise your voice to your alderman, your city council, raise it about the real issues. And tell them you've seen through this.