Plastic bags

Re: Editorial cartoon (April 8) and ‘Bad timing for plastic bag ban’ (Editorial, April 8)

Cartoonist Graeme MacKay, unfortunately, has done it again in “McHattie’s utopia;” he shoots the messenger rather than addressing the merits of the message. His personalization of this issue crosses the boundary of fair comment. By contrast, the editorial is more balanced, though that might be hard to see from its heading. Who is responsible for seeing that your editorial writers and cartoonist are on the same page?

Plastic bags are symptoms of the malaises of Western society, with its short-sighted devotion to comfort and convenience at the expense of the environment on which we depend. Councillor Brian McHattie consistently asks us to look beyond ourselves. The editorial’s vague suggestions of more public education don’t cut it. Whose job is that? When will we have had enough information to proceed to a ban? Where’s the recognition and promotion of the already available biodegradable not merely recyclable alternatives to plastic shopping (and garbage) bags? As columnist Gwynne Dyer pointed out recently, postponing action on environmental issues, even an apparently minor one such as plastic bags, risks far greater consequences for humanity. MacKay may have a lot more to answer for than McHattie.

D. Shea, Hamilton