Canada

Toronto Strike Overshadows Bag Tax

Last modified on July, 17 2009 by Site Administrator

In July, Toronto enacted a 5-cent plastic bag fee for all customers. Toronto intends to reduce its plastic bag consumption by 50% by 2012, a benchmark towards their final goal of 70% bag reduction. The city won’t collect any portion of the fee.

Imposing and measuring the impact of the tax may be difficult, due to the recent strike of unionized city workers in Toronto. Labor has been redistributed to the essential functions of the municipality. Because the city doesn’t make any revenue from the fee, it is likely that enforcing the fee will be low on Toronto’s list of priorities.

The strike has brought larger environmental problems to the city. As normal curb-side waste management services have stalled, litter and improper dumping have greatly increased in parks, alleyways and other public spaces.

References

Plastic-bag initiative fails to catch on from the National Post - June 30, 2009
This article covers the controversy that has arisen since the 5-cent plastic bag tax was enforced in Toronto. With the threat of a legitimate legal challenge, other municipalities including Calgary, Hamilton and Vancouver are hesitant to adopt similar policies.
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