Toronto bans plastic bags, should Edmonton be next?

Toronto has become the first major Canadian city to do away with single-use plastic shopping bags.

City council passed a motion to scrap the five-cent tax on each bag — a move supported by Mayor Rob Ford.

Moments later, council went further by voting 24-to-20 to ban the bags altogether starting next January 1st on the grounds they’re bad for the environment.

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Mayor Ford spoke out against the ban, saying plastic bags are useful for a number of things.

Five years ago, Leaf Rapids, Manitoba became the first Canadian community to ban single-use plastic shopping bags, and Fort McMurray passed a bylaw to ban single-use plastic shopping bags in 2009.

So far, there are no plans for a similar ban in Edmonton.