Single-use bag fees in Edmonton set to rise on Monday

Fees for single-use and reusable bags at Edmonton shops and restaurants are set to rise as part of a city bylaw that came into effect last year.

Starting Monday, paper bags at businesses will cost 25 cents, reusable bags $2.

The single-use item reduction bylaw, which was passed by Edmonton city council in October 2022, initially set prices for the bags at 15 cents and $1 for a year starting July 1, 2023.

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The city says 73 per cent of local shoppers now use reusable bags. It also says about the same number of businesses are fully compliant with the bylaw.

Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi says the city still hears complaints about the bylaw and that it is collecting data to see if the bylaw is working in its current form.

"As we move forward, if the data shows the behaviour is not changing, then I am absolutely open to revisiting that, but it has to be based on good data and solid evidence," he said on Tuesday.

Sean Stepchuk, the founder of the non-profit Waste Free Edmonton, said Thursday he welcomes the rise in bag fees, viewing the increase as an incentive for people to use reusable bags.

"It's raising prices on something that you don't need," Stephuk told CTV News Edmonton.

 "If you just bring your own, you're not going to need to get that."

Sohi said he expects city council will review some data on the bylaw by the end of the year or in early 2025.

Calgary scrapped its single-use item bylaw in May, less than four months after it came into effect.

Before Calgary's city council voted to start the repeal process, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith criticized the bylaw and asked the ministry of municipal affairs to investigate whether such bylaws were appropriate.

The Alberta government has since passed Bill 20, the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act, which allows the province to veto bylaws.