Toronto City Council kills plastic bag ban

Faced with lawsuits from the plastics industry, Toronto City Council voted 38-7 Wednesday to forget about banning plastic shopping bags on Jan. 1 as planned.  At the behest of Mayor Rob Ford, council earlier this year scrapped the mandatory 5-cent bag fee introduced in 2009, which supporters said had been successful in slashing the number of bags dispensed. After the latest move, there are no official restrictions whatever on bags.

Recently, members of related industries commenced legal action, and city lawyers warned they had a case. After a closed-door discussion Wednesday morning, councillors emerged with the news that they’d decided not to proceed with a ban.

“We’re very happy,’ plastics industry spokesperson Joe Hruska told reporters. “We just believe that the plastic bag has never been a problem for the environment. So this is a good day for Toronto and for consumer choice.” The Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers said council’s original decision was flawed because the city had failed to conduct public hearings before voting.

The Ontario Convenience Stores Association said it was speaking with city lawyers on steps to resolve the lawsuit it had launched Nov. 15. The Canadian Plastic Bag Association filed suit Nov. 19.

Councillor Gord Perks blamed Mayor Ford for setting the stage for a surprise ban, which had passed on a motion tabled on the fly by Councillor David Shiner.