Will Montreal become the first major city in Canada to ban the distribution of plastic bags? It's a possibility.
Montreal city hall hosted a public consultation on the issue Tuesday night. The city's environment committee is studying the impact of such a move.
Mayor Denis Coderre has already said he would be in favour of the move.
It's estimated Quebecers use a billion plastic bags a year. That number has fallen since some retailers began charging for them.
The city of Toronto tried to ban the bags in 2012, but backed off after it was faced with legal challenges.
A ban is not warranted, said Pierre Dubois, a consultant with the Canadian Plastics Industry Association.
“Specifically in North America, we use those bags as a garbage bag in the kitchen, for instance, or to pick up after their animals and if they don’t have those bags, then what will happen? They will have to buy new bags and that will create more plastic in the environment. The bags that you buy in the supermarket are also much more expensive,” he said.
Montreal’s environment committee will be holding two more nights of consultation after Tuesday.
Organizations and citizens are invited to present briefs on June 3 and 4.
