Raising Awareness with the B.C. Government

British Columbia (B.C.) is home to Surfrider Foundation in Canada. Over the years, we have had many amazing coastal victories, helping to protect the coastal marine environment in the Province. Through our efforts, we have become a trusted resource for many stakeholders, including the provincial government. 

Surfrider Foundation Canada (SFC) acknowledges the achievements the Province of B.C. has made in recent years to address plastic pollution. Whether through the creation of new plastic pollution prevention policy, expanding Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulation to include more single-use plastic items or by supporting coastal cleanup of marine debris, the Province has demonstrated leadership in reducing plastic pollution. 

In June and early July 2022, SFC was invited to participate in a variety of engagement activities with elected officials, government staff and industry. We used these opportunities to celebrate the progress the Province has made, but also to highlight the issues that continue to impact the coastal marine environment in B.C.

June 1 - NDP Caucus Presentation

On June 1, SFC Executive Director Lucas Harris and Board of Directors President David Boudinot presented to a collection of elected officials from the B.C. New Democrat Party. This was an excellent opportunity to provide participants in the meeting with a summary of Surfrider Foundation Canada, our amazing chapter network and some of the victories the organization has had over the years.

The SFC team acknowledged the great work the Province has done in recent years to address plastic waste but also used this meeting as an opportunity to bring attention to arguably the biggest form of plastic pollution in B.C., derelict gear from the fishing and aquaculture industry. They discussed the early results from the Clean Coast Clean Waters initiative, the province-wide cleanup program that occurred in 2020 and 2021 that was funded by the Province, showing that the volume of single-use plastics pale in comparison to the volume of derelict gear. To truly address plastic marine debris in B.C., it is essential to identify solutions to reduce and more effectively manage pollution from the fishing and aquaculture industries.

The impact of cargo container ship spills on the west coast was also highlighted. While this issue touches the jurisdiction of various levels of government, it has major implications to coastal communities and the marine environment in B.C. The SFC team shared several key observations with meeting participants, identifying where change needs to occur to better respond to these spill events when they occur.

Check out the full presentation here

June 6 - NDP 2023 Budget Consultation

Every year, the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services (the “Committee”) conducts a consultation on the upcoming provincial budget in B.C. The consultation is an opportunity to collect priorities and ideas shared by British Columbians. The results of the consultation are analyzed and summarized and shared publicly in a report. 

In June 2021, David Boudinot, President of the Board of Directors, shared several key recommendations that were published in the Report on the Budget 2022 Consultation that was released in November 2021. This year, on June 6, SFC’s Executive Director Lucas Harris presented to the Committee as part of the B.C. Budget 2023 Consultation. This was an opportunity to share three key recommendations with the Committee to consider when developing the provincial budget for next year.

In recent years, the provincial government has made strides when it comes to managing single-use plastic material. But through our grassroots activism and on the ground activity in coastal communities in the province, SFC chapters, clubs and volunteers have been able to observe other key problematic categories of plastics that need to be addressed to truly reduce the impact of plastic pollution in the marine environment here in B.C. For this year’s Budget 2023 Consultation, SFC focused on three key recommendations:

  1. Develop a program for commercial fishing and aquaculture gear used in B.C. industry that will reduce gear loss, support recovery of gear from the marine environment and enable proper processing and end of life management of retrieved materials.

  2. Develop policies and systems that improve the environmental monitoring, regulation, and enforcement of pre-consumer plastic production pellets (nurdles)

  3. Develop policies and programs that prioritize the reduction of cigarette butt litter.

We eagerly await to see how these recommendations are addressed in the 2023 Budget and will report back to the Surfrider network once it is released.

To learn more about our submission, check out these documents:

Written submission

Speaking notes

June 8 - Engaging Ministry Staff and Industry

On June 8, World’s Oceans Day, SFC’s Executive Director Lucas Harris presented at a meeting between the EPR Unit at the B.C. Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy and BC Recycles, the organization that represents all the industry-operated EPR recycling programs in the province. Ministry staff and industry representatives meet twice a year to discuss strategic priorities for EPR, recycling and pollution prevention in the Province. Lucas was invited to share Surfrider Foundation Canada’s perspective on priorities for pollution prevention.

EPR is an approach to recycling that requires producers, such as manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to take responsibility for the life cycle of the products they sell, including collection, such as curbside collection or collection depots, and recycling the packaging and products they collect. B.C. is known as a leader in EPR, with 22 programs in the province, the most of any jurisdiction in North America. By increasing the amount of material that is recovered on an annual basis, EPR programs have no doubt helped to reduce the amount of pollution entering the marine environment. This is especially relevant for several categories of plastics that are commonly found during shoreline cleanup events, such as beverage containers and plastic food packaging. However, there are new frontiers in waste management that need to be explored to fully reduce plastic pollution in the marine environment.

Similar to the June 6th budget presentation, Lucas highlighted the need to address fishing and aquaculture debris, cigarette butt litter and nurdles. These are the key forms of plastic pollution that are not receiving enough attention, compared to single-use plastic materials.

In the months and years ahead, Surfrider Foundation Canada will continue to engage with Ministry staff and industry, exploring opportunities to effectively manage these types of plastic pollution.

July 5 - Submission on the Proposed Waste Prevention Regulation 

The Province of B.C. is proposing a new regulation to reduce single-use and plastic waste by limiting or banning the use of certain single-use items. The regulation will compliment and expand on the actions taken by B.C. municipalities and the federal government to tackle plastic waste and pollution.

The Province hosted an engagement session from April 22 to July 5, 2022 based on an intentions paper for the proposed regulation. As part of this engagement, there was a short public survey that people could take and the option to submit a written submission up to 5-pages.

The SFC chapter and club network connected with their volunteers and members, sharing the survey and encouraging people to complete it. A team of SFC staff and chapter and club volunteers worked collaboratively to develop a comprehensive written submission in response to the intentions paper. In short, the submission focused on several key themes:

  • The need to address fishing and aquaculture gear to truly reduce plastic marine debris

  • Challenges with prioritizing reuse in EPR

  • Accessibility issues for recycling and reuse services in rural communities

  • Creating a level playing field for businesses that want to use reusable containers

  • Including produce bags and multi-laminate pouches in the regulation

  • Developing a monitoring framework that assesses the effectiveness of the regulation in reducing plastic pollution specifically in the marine environment. 

To review all of Surfrider Foundation Canada’s comments, view the full submission





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plastic victory: federal ban on six single-use plastics