A non-profit environmental group is lobbying Tofino to ban plastic straws by Earth Day later this month.
The Pacific Rim chapter of the Surfrider Foundation says it's reached out to Tofino business owners, launched a social media campaign and produced certificates for businesses participating in its “Straws Suck” campaign.
Spokeswoman Michelle Hall says straws may seem innocuous but they are one of the top ten pieces of litter picked up on beach clean-ups around the world and are among plastic pollution that kills one million seabirds and 100,000 mammals a year.
Chef Ian Riddick at the Long Beach Lodge Resort says Tofino has experienced the litter first hand on its beaches and the whole town is getting behind the initiative.
