TORONTO

Call it a swift kick in the plastic bag.

Toronto city council voted Wednesday to ban plastic bags effective Jan. 1 and to scrap the city’s five-cent bag fee starting July 1.

City councillors voted 27-17 Wednesday to prohibit all Toronto retail stores from providing customers with single-use plastic bags starting next year. Councillors also voted 23-21 to trash the three-year old nickel fee for plastic bags effective next month.

Canada’s largest city came to the decision to ban plastic bags in a surprising way. Councillors had been debating Mayor Rob Ford’s push to kill the plastic bag fee when Councillor David Shiner introduced a motion to ban bags. The bag ban vote came without legal advice, with no public consultation, no report from city staff and no statutory notice.

While he applauded the end of the bag tax, Ford said a plastic bag ban “doesn’t make any sense” and was “ludicrous”.

“I think we’re going to get sued,” he told reporters. “I don’t see how we’re going to win that.”

“It’s not a smart move by council to ban plastic bags.”

Shiner moved to ban plastic bags starting in 2013 after being inspired by Councillor Anthony Perruzza’s push to ban the bags by 2014.

“Just get rid of the damn bags!” Shiner told councillors in a pre-vote speech lamenting the bag fee but urging a bag ban.

Shiner and Perruzza celebrated the successful vote by ripping up a plastic grocery bag.

“I think it’s a great victory today because we’ve gotten rid of the fee and we’re getting rid of the bag and that’s really what we want to do,” Shiner said.

The Ward 24, Willowdale councillor predicted the vote marks “the end of the plastic bag.”

“And it’s the end of (retailers) making $5 million to $6 million a year on the poor shoppers,” he said.

Councillor Norm Kelly predicted the bag ban will “never see the light of day.”

“In order to pass a ban you have to pass certain tests and none of those tests were in evidence today,” he said.

“I suspect this will be challenged immediately and our ability to defend it in court as a result of the way we passed it will be slim to none.”

Marion Axmith of the Canadian Plastics Industry Association said they were pleased council rescinded the bag fee bylaw but “shocked” they moved to ban bags.

“There will be no winners here,” Axmith said. “Jobs will be lost and investment in the city will be lost.”

Asked if the association would fight the ban, Axmith said they were “considering all their options.”

Councillor Adam Vaughan stressed the vote shows Ford “can’t get an issue steered through council without all hell breaking loose.”

“(Ford)’s the greenest mayor we’ve ever had,” Vaughan quipped.

HOW COUNCILLORS VOTED

On Councillor David Shiner's motion to ban plastic bags starting on Jan. 1:



Yes: 24

Maria Augimeri, Ana Bailão, Michelle Berardinetti, Shelley Carroll, Raymond Cho, Josh Colle, Gary Crawford, Janet Davis, Glenn De Baeremaeker, Sarah Doucette, Paula Fletcher, Mary Fragedakis, Mike Layton, Pam McConnell, Mary-Margaret McMahon, Joe Mihevc, Peter Milczyn, Ron Moeser, Gord Perks, Anthony Perruzza, Jaye Robinson, David Shiner, Adam Vaughan, Kristyn Wong-Tam



No: 20

Paul Ainslie, Vincent Crisanti, Mike Del Grande, Frank Di Giorgio, John Filion, Doug Ford, Rob Ford, Mark Grimes, Doug Holyday, Norman Kelly, Chin Lee, Gloria Lindsay Luby, Giorgio Mammoliti, Josh Matlow, Denzil Minnan-Wong, Frances Nunziata (Chair), Cesar Palacio, John Parker, James Pasternak, Michael Thompson



Absent: 1

Karen Stintz

On scrapping the city’s five-cent bag fee:

Yes: 23

Paul Ainslie, Ana Bailão, Josh Colle, Gary Crawford, Vincent Crisanti, Mike Del Grande, Frank Di Giorgio, Doug Ford, Rob Ford, Mark Grimes, Doug Holyday, Norman Kelly, Gloria Lindsay Luby, Giorgio Mammoliti, Peter Milczyn, Denzil Minnan-Wong, Ron Moeser, Frances Nunziata (Chair), Cesar Palacio, John Parker, James Pasternak, David Shiner, Michael Thompson

No: 21

Maria Augimeri, Michelle Berardinetti, Shelley Carroll, Raymond Cho, Janet Davis, Glenn De Baeremaeker, Sarah Doucette, John Filion, Paula Fletcher, Mary Fragedakis, Mike Layton, Chin Lee, Josh Matlow, Pam McConnell, Mary-Margaret McMahon, Joe Mihevc, Gord Perks, Anthony Perruzza, Jaye Robinson, Adam Vaughan, Kristyn Wong-Tam

Absent: 1

Karen Stintz

On the final vote to approve a plastic bag ban in Toronto starting Jan. 1:

Yes: 27

Maria Augimeri, Ana Bailão, Michelle Berardinetti, Shelley Carroll, Raymond Cho, Josh Colle, Gary Crawford, Janet Davis, Glenn De Baeremaeker, Sarah Doucette, Paula Fletcher, Mary Fragedakis, Mike Layton, Josh Matlow, Pam McConnell, Mary-Margaret McMahon, Joe Mihevc, Peter Milczyn, Denzil Minnan-Wong, Ron Moeser, James Pasternak, Gord Perks, Anthony Perruzza, Jaye Robinson, David Shiner, Adam Vaughan, Kristyn Wong-Tam

No: 17

Paul Ainslie, Vincent Crisanti, Mike Del Grande, Frank Di Giorgio, John Filion, Doug Ford, Rob Ford, Mark Grimes, Doug Holyday, Norman Kelly, Chin Lee, Gloria Lindsay Luby, Giorgio Mammoliti, Frances Nunziata (Chair), Cesar Palacio, John Parker, Michael Thompson

Absent: 1

Karen Stintz