Nova Scotia — A growing number of primarily female seniors are rallying against the McNeil government’s recent announcement banning most single-use plastic bags in Nova Scotia.
Calling themselves PB & J’d (Plastic Bags and Jaded), more than 50 elderly women descended upon the Nova Scotia Legislature on Friday morning carrying signs with phrases such as “Pack your Bags McNeil,” and “Paper Bags Blow!”
After milling about for awhile, a few of the ornerier demonstrators chanted, almost inaudibly: “No liners for my trash cans; no bags for my purse. No bags for my kitty litter; what could be worse?”
Helena Deveau drove all the way from Yarmouth to join the protests. “Sometimes when it begins to rain, I just pull a plastic bag out of my purse and pull it over my head.” Not having a plastic bag in such a time of need would threaten her curls, she continued.
Thelma Fitzpatrick, from Pictou, had concerns over what she would now use to line her kitty litter tray. “The Giant Tiger bags are perfect for cat shit and piss,” she stated. “Fluffy loves to go on that tiger’s face,” she added with a wry smile.
After about an hour of occupation, the protest evolved into more of a social tea, with many of the women pulling plastic bags containing food out of their purses, including those tasty little sandwiches with no crusts.
Asking one PB & J’d member, who wished to remain anonymous, if this was all just an excuse to get together for a seniors’ picnic, she replied, “Not that we don’t love plastic bags, but at our age we use any reason to get together, get some blood work done in the city, and head to Costco afterwards.”
The few men in attendance were seemingly there as chauffeurs only, with one being overheard yelling across Parade Square, “Come on Val, the line at the bank ain’t getting any shorter!”
The Premier’s Office was unavailable for an interview but did state in an email that the premier supports PB & J’d’s right to congregate and asked that if there were any of the cream cheese and cherry sandwiches left to leave them in the staff room on the first floor.