A local resident wants to see mass balloon releases banned by the municipality.
Jacqueline Villemaire appeared before Minto council at the June 2 meeting to ask council to take action. “The environmental damage that these tiny bits of plastic cause are drastic,” stated Villemaire.
“With eight million tonnes of plastic washing ashore each year, I ask you, does Minto want to contribute to that number?” she asked.
“The issue is upsetting but the solution is easy,” she said, explaining that while balloon releases “clearly fall under” established littering bylaws, such activities are ignored. She suggested an amendment to the town’s bylaw is needed to specifically include the balloon releases.
“To what extent do you expect the bylaw to go?” asked deputy mayor Ron Faulkner. “Weather people, people like the space research people. there’s many organizations that do release balloons to give them data … it’s not the 400 at a time, it’s one balloon.”
Villemaire said a ban should extend to release of multiple balloons for “anything considered celebratory.”
“Anything in the name of science, to my understanding, they have microchips and whatnot to track those expensive balloons. They want to recover that.”
Council directed staff to prepare a report.
