Vancouver's 25-cent single-use cup fee will be eliminated May 1
Businesses in Vancouver will no longer be required to charge a fee for single-use cups as of May 1, a move that reverses a decision by the previous city council.
A statement from the city Tuesday says the 25-cent fee will be repealed along with the requirement for businesses to accept customers' clean reusable cups.
However, it says businesses are still encouraged to accept reusable drinking cups and offer discounts to customers who bring their own.
The fee took effect at the start of last year as part of a strategy to reduce waste from single-use items.
The city's statement says staff are to report back to council by the end of the year with recommendations for alternative policies to help reduce single-use cups.
The motion to scrap the fee, put forward by Coun. Rebecca Bligh, says it did not result in a shift in consumer behaviour and came with negative consequences, including “equity impacts” on vulnerable people.
The city says staff will take steps in the coming weeks to inform businesses and other stakeholders of the changes coming May 1.
It says the changes do not affect existing bylaws for single-use shopping bags, straws, utensils and foam containers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Rainfall warnings of up to 80 mm among weather alerts in effect for 6 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres and other alerts have been issued for six Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Calgary police shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers dealt with a distraught individual. The incident lasted almost 20 hours.