Montreal's single-use plastics bylaw coming into effect
Montreal's single-use plastics bylaw coming into effect
The bylaw banning certain single-use items comes into effect on March 28 in Montreal. The city says it will support the 8,400 food stores and restaurants in this ecological transition.
As of March 28, cups, glasses, sticks, straws and plastic utensils, whether compostable or not, will be banned in food stores and restaurants.
Plastic cups, glasses, straws and sticks will also be banned for take-out and delivery. Utensils will be allowed if requested by the customer.
The ban also applies to the following polystyrene (#6) or compostable (#7) plastic products, whether for take-out or for use on the premises: plates, containers, lids, trays (except those for raw meat and fish) and utensils.
"The reduction of residual materials at source must be a priority for everyone, for the benefit of future generations," explained the person responsible for the ecological transition and the environment within the executive committee, to recall the reasons for this regulation.
Marie-Andrée Mauger invited the media to a downtown restaurant on Thursday morning.
"When the only landfill in the Montreal region reaches its full capacity in 2029, we have no choice but to accelerate the reduction of waste at the source," said Mauger, who is also a borough councillor in Verdun. "We must respect the limits of ecosystems. If everyone lived like we do in Montreal, in Quebec, it would take four planets to sustain the rate at which we consume resources."
Mauger noted that the 19 boroughs of the City of Montreal are covered by the new regulation. She also hopes that the new bylaw will help beautify the city.
"We notice that our bins, in the streets and parks, are full and littered with single-use items," she said.
UP TO $4,000 IN FINES
The Valerie Plante administration said the city's 8,400 food businesses and restaurants have been educated and informed in various ways since the bylaw was passed 18 months ago.
For example, "a call campaign," via the Affaires Montréal telephone line, has been launched and leaflets have been distributed.
City inspectors will be able to issue notices of violation on the first visit, but on the second or subsequent offence, merchants will be subject to fines ranging from $400 to $4,000.
"We don't expect that on day one, there will be no more banned items in circulation. We're going to show some tolerance, give merchants time to clear their stock, because we don't want this regulation to generate waste," said Mauger.
However, she did not specify what would be "a reasonable time to sell out."
The new regulation does not apply to non-profit food aid organizations or establishments that only offer a home delivery service such as caterers. It also does not apply to food pre-packaged outside the establishment.
The regulation also does not apply to plastic-coated cups, glasses and cardboard containers (compostable or not).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 23, 2023.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is pushing for special rapporteur David Johnston to 'step aside' from his role examining the issue of foreign interference before he embarks on public hearings.
New Democrat MP Jenny Kwan said Monday that Canada's spy agency has confirmed her long-held belief she is being targeted by the Chinese government, as the prime minister granted the NDP's wish to allow more party members to review top-secret intelligence.
William Karlsson, William Carrier and Jonathan Marchessault are finally getting another chance in the Stanley Cup Final, after the first one that came so quick for the Vegas Golden Knights.
Eastern Conference finals Most Valuable Player Jimmy Butler scored 28 points, and Caleb Martin had 26 points and 10 rebounds to help the eighth-seeded Miami Heat beat the Celtics 103-84 in Game 7 on Monday night and advance to the NBA Finals for the second time in four seasons.
Canadian political leaders and parliamentarians are denouncing a new law passed in Uganda that imposes harsh penalties, including the death penalty, for certain cases involving homosexuality.
There's a heightened risk of wildfires across the country during what has been one of the earliest fire seasons on record. From British Columbia to Nova Scotia, here's where the risk is highest.
New research from Penn State University found certain factors can contribute to reducing what’s known as the 'urban heat island' effect, and that climate knowledge can contribute to better city planning and design.
The body of a Winnipeg boy who fell into Sturgeon Falls on Saturday has been found following a desperate underwater search that lasted more than a day.
One long-time electoral tradition came to an end on election day, when Postmedia announced there would be no printed newspaper announcing the winner in Calgary.
The rural Oxford County intersection where an OPP officer and a school bus driver were killed Monday was less than a month away from becoming a four-way stop when the deadly crash happened.
It was a night of indecision at Waterloo region's catholic school board as trustees went back and forth trying to find the best approach to fill a vacant seat.
On Monday, Fraser Health provided two senior leaders to address the latest letter outlining risks to patients, allegations of muzzling, and pleas for help from emergency physicians in the health authority's hospitals.
The president of the BC Trucking Association is issuing renewed calls for safety after a trailer truck smashed into an overhead pass Monday morning in Langley.
Over 170,000 elementary and high school students weighed in on the Alberta election and the NDP had to hope the real voters were listening, because they won the kids' vote.
Windsor city council voted Monday in favour of adopting a master plan with high hopes for City Hall Square and a so-called civic esplanade stretching down to the river
A united front was on full display Monday as community leaders, politicians, business people, unions and educators gathered together at Windsor City Hall to ensure the NextStar Energy battery plant deal gets closed.
Doctors in their final year of training, called residency, can choose to do a one-month rotation at the Shelter Health Initiative (SHI) caring for Windsor’s homeless population.
The first twister of 2023 in the country touched down near Regina over the weekend, according to an analysis from the Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP).
One person from Estevan, Sask. is dead and another is seriously injured following a collision between a pickup truck and a motorcycle on May 28 near Fortuna, North Dakota.
The Sandy Hill Child Care Centre has an extra two weeks to get its new home up to code months after a fire destroyed its original site on Wilbrod Street.
Ottawa police are praising a local dad for quickly calling for help Sunday afternoon when he accidentally locked his keys in his car, and his infant child along with them.
Ontario Provincial Police say a driver from Augusta Township is facing an impaired driving charge after someone on Highway 416 spotted a vehicle moving erratically.
In a province where there are vast distances between cities and towns, one local group is hoping to get public support for an idea to bridge those gaps with a rail line.
