The city of Montreal's well-publicized plastic bag ban came into effect on Jan. 1, but for the moment, it doesn't appear that some of Montreal's demerged suburbs will be following suit quickly.
Several West Island municipalities, including Dorval, Beaconsfield and Pointe Claire, told the Montreal Gazette there are no plans to institute a similar ban — at least not for now.
The former Montreal administration of Denis Coderre passed the bylaw in 2016 banning the common, lightweight plastic shopping bags — and received some criticism for not holding off on implementing the ban until a study on the environmental benefits of such a ban came through from Recyc-Québec.
Shortly after her election, Montreal mayor Valerie Plante had suggested she wanted to wait for the study from Recyc-Québec, the agency that advises the government on reducing waste, before going ahead with a ban. But there was never any follow-up to that statement, and the ban was implemented as planned on New Year's Day.
There will be a grace period for shopkeepers to comply with the bylaw which will extend through June 5.
At least one West Island mayor, Beaconsfield's Georges Bourelle, told the Gazette he'll wait for the study before making a decision in his city.