Calgary City Council voted 12-3 on Tuesday to repeal a bylaw mandating businesses to charge for single-use items and bags, responding to strong public backlash and concerns about its effectiveness and necessity.
The controversial bylaw, first enacted on Jan. 16, had required retailers to impose a minimum bag fee and offer single-use items only upon request. The fees were $0.15 per paper shopping bag and $1 per reusable shopping bag, which was set to increase to $0.25 and $2 on Jan. 16, 2025.
On top of minimum fees, shopping bags and foodware accessories were to be provided by request only.
The fees will end immediately.
However, despite repealing the bylaw, city councillors will work on new recommendations for a new single-use bylaw to curb the waste going into Calgary landfills.
11 Councillors and Mayor Jyoti Gondek voted in favour of repealing the single-use items charter bylaw. Only councillors Walcott, Penner, and Carra voted against it.
“Calgarians spoke loud and clear; they don’t support the bylaw. They’re not convinced, and neither am I, that this bylaw is actually accomplishing what it was designed to do,” said Councillor Sonya Sharp.
Councillor Dan McLean echoed similar concerns.
“People are getting really tired of politicians and ‘experts’ telling the uneducated masses what to do, that we know best. And if you don’t like it, well, that’s just too bad. We know the vast majority of Calgarians do not like the single-use items bylaw for many reasons. They think it’s overreaching. They think it’s ridiculous,” said McLean.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith had previously said she did not support the single-use item bylaw.
“I’m not supportive of the decisions in both Calgary and Edmonton, but I’ve put it to my Minister of Municipal Affairs to see if they’ve gone outside the realm of the (Municipal Government Act),” said Smith. “I think there’s a little bit of ideology getting ahead of common sense here.”
Alberta’s provincial government recently passed Bill 20, which allows them to repeal or amend municipal bylaws.
Smith said that in “rare circumstances,” the province needs to review municipal decisions that may be unconstitutional or fall outside of a municipality’s control.
Smith used the example of Calgary recently trying to pass a motion that extends voting to non-citizens. “That is simply not appropriate nor within their authority,” she said.
While previously ordering Alberta’s Minister of Municipal Affairs, Ric McIver, to investigate the legality of the single-use item bylaws, Smith has not said whether she will repeal them.
Vancouver similarly had a single-use cup fee that they repealed in June 2023. City councillors argued that it failed to accomplish its objectives and simply cost the taxpayers more.
According to the city of Calgary, even with the bylaw being repealed, it does not mean that businesses will be able to use plastic bags, cutlery, or straws as these items still fall under the Government of Canada’s Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations.
“The regulations ban the manufacture of plastic shopping bags, plastic straws, stir sticks, utensils, foam cups, and other types of plastics that are difficult to recycle,” said the city.
The Federal Court overturned Ottawa’s ban on single-use plastics back in November.
The city said the ruling has raised questions about the federal single-use prohibition, but the regulations remain in effect.
The city of Calgary said that Calgarians throw out over 10 million single-use items each week.
Developing a new plan could take up to three months, said city councillors, at which point it will return to the chambers to be debated.