Frustrated by unwanted flyers, Moncton man starts petition for opt-in service
A Moncton man has started a campaign to change the way weekly sales flyers are delivered to homes.
Fred LaForge started a petition Thursday, calling for opt-in, instead of opt-out, delivery of weekly flyers distributed by Brunswick News Inc.
"Talking to a lot of people about it and some of my friends, I was like, 'Do you even read the flyers?' And they're like, 'No, no, I basically pick it up from the driveway and it goes in the recycling bin,'" he said in an interview with Information Morning Fredericton.
So far, the online petition at change.org has collected more than 1,500 signatures.
Today, he said, people have more access to the internet and applications such as Reebee that allow people to browse flyers on their smartphones and computers.
People don't need a plastic bundle of flyers sitting outside their homes every week, LaForge said.
"I think that lump of paper advertising that appears on your doorstep every week needs to change."
In the past, LaForge said, he has called Brunswick News to get flyer delivery to his home to stop. Eventually, however, the flyers would start reappearing in his driveway.
LaForge wondered if changeover of flyer delivery staff is high, and the list of people who opt-out of the service isn't updated.
This isn't the first time residents have complained about the flyers.
Over the winter, some residents took issue with flyers landing in their driveways, where they were eaten up by snowblowers after storms, causing damage to the machines.
LaForge said homes that want flyer delivery should have some kind of indicator, such as a blue sticker, saying they accept flyers.
Although some people have been fed up with the flyers for years, LaForge said, people haven't been willing to do anything about them.
CBC News has asked Brunswick News for comment and is waiting for a response.
'It's littering'
With Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe looking at banning single-use plastic bags by July 2020, LaForge said an opt-in service would also be better for the environment.
In Nova Scotia, Halifax regional council will consider new rules about where and when flyers can be left at people's homes. Companies violating the rules could face fines of $250 under the proposed bylaw.
LaForge is hoping his petition will draw municipal and provincial attention to the issue.
"It's littering," he said.
