Alberta joins fray against federal plastic rules
Alberta has sided with a coalition of major plastic producers suing the federal government over its plan to tackle plastic pollution. Photo by National Observer/Alex Tétreault
Alberta has sided with a coalition of major plastic producers suing to stop the federal government’s efforts to reduce plastic pollution.
In a Wednesday letter, Alberta's attorney general told the Federal Court of Canada that the province would intervene in an industry-led lawsuit against the federal government’s 2021 decision to list plastics as "toxic" under Canada's environmental laws.
The designation underpins a suite of other restrictions on the material, including a recent ban on six single-use plastic items like straws and six-pack rings. Several major plastic manufacturers are suing the federal government over the ban in a separate July lawsuit.
The federal plan received nominal approval last week from Canada's environment ministers — including Alberta's — who signed onto a national "roadmap" to reduce plastic waste. But in an about-face, Alberta Justice Minister Tyler Shandro on Thursday cast the federal plan as a "direct threat" to the province and a constitutional violation.
Alberta has banked its post-pandemic economic recovery on massively expanding its plastics and petrochemical industry in the coming years to compensate as demand drops for fossil fuels in other sectors. The federal government's decision to list plastic as "toxic" is having "a negative effect" on these efforts, Shandro said.
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