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City of Edmonton

Edmonton’s Single-Use Item Reduction Bylaw to ban plastic shopping bags, force restaurants to serve in reusable cups and accept customer cups

Published

4 months ago

3 minute read

News release submitted by the City of Edmonton

City council passes bylaw to significantly reduce waste

The City of Edmonton is taking action to decrease the use of single-use items, which will help reduce the amount of waste being littered and ending up in landfills.
“This is an exciting first step towards climate resiliency. We’re beginning to change our course,” said Mayor Amarjeet Sohi. “We all have a part to play in preserving and protecting our environment, and participating in single-use item reduction is an easy way for all Edmontonians to commit to sustainability. I am supportive of this bylaw and know that together, we can build a greener and more climate-resilient future for all of us.”
On October 4, Council approved the Single-use Item Reduction Bylaw, which will go into effect on July 1, 2023. The bylaw aims to reduce waste by targeting items that can easily be avoided or replaced with reusable options, and by making those reusable options more accessible.
Edmontonians will see the following changes:
  • Single-use plastic shopping bags will be banned, and businesses must charge at least 15 cents for a paper bag and at least $1 for a new reusable shopping bag.
  • These minimum fees will increase on July 1, 2024 to 25 cents for a paper bag and $2 for a new reusable bag.
  • Styrofoam (foam) plates, cups and containers will be banned.
  • Restaurants must serve dine-in drink orders in reusable cups, and accept reusable customer cups for dine-in and takeout orders.
  • Accessories (like utensils, straws, pre-packaged condiments and napkins) will only be available by request or self-serve.
Approximately 450 million single-use items are thrown in the garbage each year in Edmonton, plus more that are recycled and littered. Through these measures, the City aims to reduce the number of regulated single-use items used in Edmonton by 20 per cent by 2027.
“Our goal is to reduce single-use items overall, not just to switch from plastic items to non-plastic items,” said Denis Jubinville, Branch Manager of Waste Services. “In addition to diverting more waste from landfill, this bylaw will also help residents think more broadly about waste reduction.
“Something as simple as bringing a reusable cup to a coffee shop may feel like a small step, but when a city of a million residents commits to small behaviour changes, the impact can be significant.”
The City will ensure businesses are well informed and supported through awareness campaigns and various resources, including plain-language guidelines for implementing the changes and customer communication tools.
The bylaw exempts registered charitable organizations, to ensure they’re able to maintain their focus on providing critical social services. Some types of businesses are also currently exempt from portions of the bylaw for safety or feasibility reasons.
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200 plus homeless people will find shelter in former Stony Plain Road hotel

Published on January 20, 2023

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From the City of Edmonton

Temporary emergency shelter opens its doors

The new 24/7 temporary emergency shelter funded by the City of Edmonton and operated by Tallcree Tribal Government in partnership with Jasper Place Wellness Centre (JPWC) will open its doors today.
The shelter, located in a former hotel at 15540 Stony Plain Road in the city’s west end, will accommodate 209 individuals experiencing homelessness when fully operational. The first of 59 private rooms will open, with a phased opening of 150 congregate living spaces throughout the remainder of January and February. Until the congregate living spaces are available, the site will be referral based only.
“Every single Edmontonian deserves access to a safe and warm space and that is exactly why this City Council prioritized funding this shelter,” said Mayor Amarjeet Sohi. “We are grateful to Tallcree Tribal Government and Jasper Place Wellness Centre for working with us to provide Edmontonians with a safe place to stay during this winter as we continue to support individuals transitioning to long term solutions like permanent supportive housing.”
People accessing the shelter will have a safe, warm place to sleep, receive daily meals and have access to health services, harm reduction support, case management support and be connected with a housing support worker who will help them find longer term housing.
“Jasper Place Wellness Centre is excited to collaborate with Tallcree Tribal Government and the City of Edmonton on this important project,” said Taylor Soroka, JPWC’s co-founder and vice president of strategy. “This space will provide unhoused Edmontonians with safety, services and a pathway to permanent housing.”
“We know that many First Nation People are experiencing homelessness,” said Tallcree Tribal Government Chief Rupert Meneen. “Tallcree Tribal Government is pleased to work with Jasper Place Wellness Centre and the City of Edmonton to address this urgent need, connecting First Nation people, and others in need, to culturally appropriate interventions and services in a safe environment. By doing so, we’ll achieve better outcomes for all.”
The City of Edmonton is providing $7.5 million from the financial stabilization reserve to fund the emergency shelter.
Homeward Trust’s By Name List indicates that more than 2,750 Edmontonians are experiencing homelessness. About 1,250 of those individuals are primarily sleeping in emergency shelters or outdoors each night.
The Government of Alberta funds 622 permanent shelter spaces year round in Edmonton. For the winter months, the Government of Alberta is funding 450 additional shelter spaces for winter 2022/23 and winter 2023/24, increasing overnight shelter capacity in Edmonton to 1,072 spaces during the winter months. The additional spaces at the City-funded shelter will increase capacity to 1,281 spaces.
The City-funded shelter is expected to remain open until May 31, 2023
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Alberta

Province demanded plan: Edmonton mayor outlines ways city will try to curb crime

Published on June 10, 2022

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Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi highlighted provincial funding discrepancies between his city and Calgary to tackle homelessness as he outlined Thursday a plan to address rising crime in the downtown area.

“Currently, there are approximately 634 permanently funded emergency shelter spaces in Edmonton, compared to 1,758 spaces in Calgary,” Sohi said.

He added that Calgary also receives 40 to 50 per cent more in funding to support community efforts to end homelessness.

“I don’t understand the reason for this discrepancy when both cities are facing similar challenges,” he said.

“We’re asking the government of Alberta to immediately close this discrepancy and provide Edmonton the same level of support they provide to Calgary.”

Sohi’s comments come after the city published Thursday the final version of its safety plan for downtown, Chinatown and the transit system. The city abided by a deadline set two weeks ago by Justice Minister Tyler Shandro.

Shandro used his ministerial power to demand a report from the city on what is being done to get crime under control. In a letter to Sohi on May 26, Shandro also pointed to the recent killings of two men in Chinatown.

Sohi said he had been working on problems affecting the city’s core since he took office in October. He has said the areas of action that help address social disorder — mental health, drug addiction and homelessness — are mainly within the province’s jurisdiction.

“If (the province is) really and truly serious about safety and about the well-being of Edmontonians, then give us the same support that you give Calgary,” he said.

The plan combines immediate steps and longer-term initiatives.

In the short term, the city will put more police and peace officers on the street, fund private security to patrol Chinatown, implement programs to prevent and respond to drug overdoses, and increase responses to encampments and derelict homes.

There is also a plan to immediately set up an operations centre in Chinatown for police, peace officers and staff from social agencies. A location is yet to be determined.

Several initiatives call for cleaning streets and back alleys several times a day, adding more public washrooms in core neighbourhoods, and implementing a needle cleanup program.

Longer-term initiatives include decentralizing social services from core neighbourhoods and streetscape improvements.

Sohi also said the province should increase funding for Edmonton police to reflect population growth and inflation.

“In 2008, the province funded 105 police officers for our city, but capped the per capita cost to $100,000,” he said. “That funding has not been adjusted for inflation and, in 2022, the cost per officer has nearly doubled.”

Sohi added the city has made up that shortfall by increasing property taxes.

Shandro said in a statement Thursday that the plan has been submitted to his office and is being reviewed

“I am encouraged by the constructive discussions I’ve had with Mayor Sohi and the recent steps municipal officials have taken to improve public safety for Edmontonians — including city council’s vote to amend the municipal transit bylaw to ban loitering and drug use on public transit,” he said.

“There is still a considerable amount of work to do to address crime and violence in downtown Edmonton and make it safer for everyone, but these are positive steps in the right direction.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 9, 2022.

Daniela Germano, The Canadian Press

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