Montreal moves to ban sale of sugary drinks inside city buildings

Montreal is moving to ban the sale of sugary drinks from all of its municipal buildings.

READ MORE: ‘There’s an obesity epidemic;’ Montreal city council to debate soda tax

A motion that was passed this week aims to prohibit soda, sports drinks and other sweetened beverages from being sold at municipal installations like administrative buildings, libraries and arenas.

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The ban developed from a motion tabled by longtime Montreal city councillor Marvin Rotrand.

It calls on the city to ask the federal government to introduce a tax on sugary drinks.

READ MORE: Is your daily diet soda increasing your risk of dementia, stroke?

Rotrand says two of the city’s 19 boroughs have a sugary drink ban in place and that a working group will figure out how to gradually introduce it in the other districts as contracts with various distributors come due.

READ MORE: Quebec soda company signs deal with Metro Inc.

The Canadian Beverage Association says it’s disappointed with the move, saying the industry wasn’t consulted and that studies demonstrate sugar-sweetened beverage calorie consumption has dropped by at least 30 per cent since 2004.