‘Get rid of it’: Upcoming public hearing to repeal single-use items statutes

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The public hearing required to formally repeal Calgary’s single-use items bylaw will take place Tuesday, offering residents a chance to weigh in on the controversial new lawn rules councilors voted to overturn last winter.

To rescind a charter, the council must adhere to the same process that was followed in enacting the original charter, depending on the city. That means the council could not repeal the rules until after a 60-day notice and publicity period, to allow the public to submit comments.

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Calgary council voted 10-5 to begin the process of repealing the bylaw on Jan. 30, exactly two weeks after it came into effect.

The new rules, technically still in effect, require grocery stores, restaurants and other food vendors to impose a minimum surcharge on customers of $0.15 for a paper bag or $1 for a new reusable cloth bag at the point of delivery. sale. These rates would have rose to $0.25 and $2 respectively in 2025.

The statute also places the responsibility on customers to request single-use food items and accessories, such as napkins and plastic utensils.

In introducing the bylaw, city staff said the intent was to encourage Calgarians to bring their own reusable cloth bags and incentivize them to contribute less waste to local landfills. At the Jan. 30 council meeting, staff from the city’s waste and recycling team noted that More than 15 million single-use items are thrown away every week in Calgary.

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But the statute proved immediately unpopular. Many council members said they received hundreds of emails from constituents criticizing the new rules as confusing and ineffective.

“We all support waste reduction, but what we might want to see are some different amendments,” District 1. Sonya Sharp said after the Jan. 30 meeting. “The best thing to do here is try to wipe the slate clean, repeal and try to start again.”

Waste reduction ideas may be reviewed in the future

On Monday, Ward 10 Count. André Chabot said he doesn’t expect there to be much debate before the council can finally end the bylaw. He said the council has already spent time debating the merits of the bylaw and that any proposed attempt to save it would require another lengthy notice period.

“There really won’t be an opportunity to do it again, try to amend it; it’s a yes or no vote,” he said. “Either we repeal it or we don’t.

“What’s the point? The best thing you can do is throw it away and start over.”

Mayor Jyoti Gondek, who was among five who voted to uphold the bylaw on Jan. 30, said it’s difficult to speculate how the public hearing will play out.

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“Any time we address something where there’s been a lot of interest from the public and council, it’s hard to predict how the conversation will play out,” he told reporters Monday. “We are also on day 12 of a different public hearing, so what will happen (Tuesday) remains to be seen. “I’m interested in hearing from whoever registers in the public.”

Chabot said he hopes council will revisit the issue of waste reduction in the future, but that the city will have to come up with options Calgarians can accept.

“Maybe in the future something will come along that addresses the problem from that perspective, but, for now, the best solution (and what we’ve heard out loud from most people) is to just get rid of it,” he said.

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