Chinese restaurant and business owners in Toronto say they have received hundreds of hateful and racist letters in the wake of the city council's decision to ban shark fin on local menus.

"This is not about shark fin," Kai Tao said at a news conference with other leaders in the Chinese community. "This is about a community being hurt by these kind of remarks."

Toronto council recently banned the sale of shark fin, but the ban doesn't take effect until next year.

Police are investigating because a letter recieved this week included a threat to spread rat poison in food sold in Toronto-area Chinatowns.

Det. Raymond Mu, who came to the meeting, said police are taking the threat seriously and the investigation has been handed over to the hate crime unit.

Traditional dish

Shark fins are used in a soup that is often served at traditional Chinese weddings.

Those who support the ban say sharks are killed inhumanely and often thrown into the ocean alive after their fins are sliced off.

Those who opposed the ban say the soup is a traditional dish and insist the sharks are killed humanely. They also argued a ban would hurt businesses.

The proposed bylaw will prohibit any use of shark fin and will impose fines ranging from $5,000 for a first offence to $100,000 for a third offence.

One Chinatown fish market owner said shark fin sales are booming as people work to beat the ban deadline.

"They want to consume it for a long time, so they come to get a big amount, more than before," Tim Yung said.

People in the Chinese community say the issue isn't over. They plan to take their cause to Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, arguing that the federal government should overturn the city's decision.

No one from Kenney's office would comment.