Mayor of Vancouver Ken Sim say the city’s controversial Disposable cup fee It will be gone by this summer.
Shim made the comments in his first “state of the city” speech to the Greater Vancouver Trade Commission on Tuesday.
“Everyone here in Vancouver loves the environment, but we can distinguish between what’s practical and what’s not,” Sim said.
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“The stories we hear from the business community and residents are that cup fees are not working and are punitive.
Sim’s ABC Vancouver party has a majority on the council and has little trouble abolishing dues.
Vancouver implemented changes to its licensing bylaws on January 1, 2022. This banned the use of plastic shopping bags and required businesses to charge a fee of 25 cents for disposable cups and 15 cents for paper bags.
The city does not have the authority to enforce sales taxes, so money from commissions goes to businesses, not the government. Businesses were encouraged to use the funds to switch to reusable alternatives to single-use items.
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The fees quickly became controversial, with some critics arguing they represent a windfall for large chains and others saying the fees discriminate against low-income and homeless people. I claimed.
The council later moved to exempt free drinks and meals, or anything purchased with a voucher, from the fee to address some of these concerns.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Sim’s plans would extend to the terms’ baggage fee provisions. The federal government unilaterally banned plastic shopping bags last month.
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Sim insisted that ABC would listen to other perspectives on the issue as well.
“We’re not going to put it off for two, four years and write a report. We’re going to file a motion and discuss it,” he said.
“We’ll be very open-minded. If someone can convince us why the cup tax is still there, we’ll all listen. If people can’t provide that argument and explain why it’s really good for the environment, we’re going to get rid of it.”
According to the city, Vancouverites threw out more than 82 million disposable cups and 89 million plastic bags in 2018 alone.
The city estimates the cost of collecting and disposing of these items at about $2.5 million annually, and says many end up in landfills.
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