TORONTO – The Canada Plastic Bag Association (CPBA) has added its voice to the Ontario Convenience Store Association’s (OCSA) call for an overturn of Toronto’s citywide ban on plastic bags, The National reports.

The bag association argues that the city council did not consult the public before passing the ban. The CPBA applied to the Ontario Superior Court this week to squash the ban, which will go into effect Jan. 1.

“As the Toronto city council gave no notice, undertook no public consultation, carried out no due diligence and received no advice prior to adopting [it], the bag-ban resolution ought to be quashed for having been passed in bad faith,” said Joe Hruska, CPBA spokesman.

The bag association pointed out that its makers and sellers of plastic bags would be “significantly impacted” if Toronto went ahead with the ban. The OCSA made a similar legal action with the courts, saying that the city council did not have the authority to enact such a ban and that it was pushed through too quickly. 

Toronto has said retailers would have six months to comply with the ban before fines would be levied for noncompliance. This week, Los Angeles passed a ban on plastic bags, which will take effect starting Jan. 1.