This morning, Sobeys, the parent company of Quebec grocery giant, IGA, made a move to ban all plastic bags as of January 2020. According to CBC News, this plan will remove some 225 million plastic bags from circulation. Sobeys owns some 1,500 stores across all 10 Canadian provinces, according to La Presse, and this move to ban plastic bags makes it the first major Canadian grocery retailer to do so. Along with the Canadian government's plan to ban all single-use plastics by 2021, this effort from Sobey's seems like the first step to a plastic-free Canada. "The war against plastic seems truly declared in Quebec," states a headline from TVA Nouvelles, but is a "war on plastic" really the case? Maybe not, but still, many Quebec institutions are slowly phasing-out plastic use. Here's a comprehensive list of what you can expect in the near future. IGA, Rachelle Bery, Depanneur Boni-Soir View this post on Instagram Entrez nous voir. Notre nouveau magasin situé au coin Rachel et St-Denis est encore plus beau de l'intérieur. . . . . . . . . #rachellebery #bio #organicfood #mangerlocal #ouverture #montreal #plateaumontroyal #vegan A post shared by Rachelle Béry (@rachellebery) on Aug 17, 2018 at 7:25am PDT The businesses listed above are all Sobeys' holdings and will follow the company's mandate to ban plastic bags by 2020. The company will also gradually phase out plastic straws and single-use produce bags in all stores across Quebec. All Montreal Universities and CEGEPs View this post on Instagram ✍🏻 "منِ دیروز" را کشتم "منِ دیروز" را در بین خروارها ناامیدی زیر فرسنگ ها بدبیاری و بین همه ی آرزوهای ناکام مدفون کردم منِ تازه منِ بلند شده از خاکسترها پاک است مثل لوحی سپید خالیست می نویسم در او هر چه خوشحالیست هر چه شادیست هر چه با تو بودن است "من می توانم" را حک کردم روی دفترِ خاطراتِ آینده ام منِ تازه من پیروز است. اصل / اردیبهشت ۸۸ . . . #شعر #شاعر #خوشحالی #شادی #تازه #بهار #پیروز #خاطرات #آینده #موفقیت #دیروز #امروز #فردا #امیدواری #آرامش #موفق #آرزو #سپید #پاک #امید #مهاجرت #کانادا#مونترال #دخترونه #مهدا #مهدارضایی #مهدا_رضایی #دلنوشته . . . #concordiauniversity #cuseenby A post shared by Mahda Rezaee (@mahda_rezaee) on Apr 2, 2019 at 10:58am PDT Concordia University banned the sale of plastic water bottles in 2012, followed by Université de Montréal in 2013. This year, all Montreal universities including McGill and UQAM will follow suit and ban the sale of plastic water bottles. McGill has already phased them out and UQAM will do so in 2021. Some CEGEPs will also ban the sale of plastic water bottles. Montreal Music Festivals View this post on Instagram Osheaga lineup in less than an hour!❤️ #osheaga #osheaga2019 @osheaga #montreal @montreal #mtlmoments #summer #festival #experienceosheaga #dof A post shared by Susan Moss (@susanmossphotography) on Mar 26, 2019 at 8:04am PDT Osheaga banned the sale of plastic water bottles and plastic containers this year and will instead have huge water trucks to quench people's thirst. Festival organizers want to extend this initiative to all Montreal music festivals. Holiday Inn Hotels View this post on Instagram Hop aboard stop 4 of our #FallFamilyTravelGuide – the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad station. After a day of riding the train, stay and unwind with us! A post shared by Holiday Inn (@holidayinn) on Nov 21, 2018 at 12:05pm PST According to TVA Nouvelles, the hotel chain is planning to phase out small plastic shampoo bottles and plastic containers in their rooms within two years. Kentucky Fried Chicken View this post on Instagram Victory tastes like chicken. #QS400 #KentuckySpeedway A post shared by Kentucky Fried Chicken (@kfc) on Jul 9, 2016 at 8:11pm PDT Like many fast-food retailers, KFC is banning single-use plastics such as straws and plastic bags in 2020. St-Hubert View this post on Instagram Lunch time! #sthubert #montreal #montrealquebec #vacation #vacationmode A post shared by DawnHannon (@dawn_hannon_76) on Aug 8, 2018 at 12:32pm PDT Quebec's favourite chicken chain has already banned single-use plastic straws in all restaurants and is gradually phasing out all plastics. A&W View this post on Instagram Today is Free Root Beer day! 😋#rootbeer A post shared by A&W Canada (@awcanada) on Jul 20, 2019 at 9:01am PDT A&W will follow suit and ban the use of plastic straws in 2020. They're hoping to ban extensive plastic use across the board. Hospitals View this post on Instagram Surgery day here we go A post shared by @ daxstar9 on Nov 14, 2016 at 4:22am PST Montreal area hospitals are trying to figure out solutions so that they can comply with Canada's plastic ban. According to TVA Nouvelles, plastic waste comprises some 20% of all hospital waste in Quebec. Subway, Coca-Cola, and Starbucks View this post on Instagram The choice is yours—and so is the adventure. 🌵 Cold Brew ☀️ Iced Guava White Tea 🌳 Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino® drink 🏝️ Mango Dragonfruit Starbucks Refreshers A post shared by Starbucks Coffee ☕ (@starbucks) on Jul 18, 2019 at 9:34am PDT All the above businesses will comply with Canada's plastic ban in 2020. Starbucks has already begun phasing out plastic straws and has made improvements to their cups and lids to make them more sustainable. Cafés and Independent Retailers View this post on Instagram Launching tomorrow at the cafe!@lecafebloom x @pms 💛 A post shared by Café Bloom (@lecafebloom) on Apr 3, 2019 at 2:37pm PDT Many cafés and independent retailers in the city have already banned single-use plastics in their stores. When the plastic ban was announced, straws were the first thing to go along with cup lids and various other plastic containers. Expect more plastic bans to be announced in the future! MTL Blog will bring you all the updates as they come.
