Skip to content

Transcontinental to appeal ruling dismissing effort to quash Mirabel flyer bylaw

2022042018044-6260835edf6748cd396bd0fejpeg
A TC Transcontinental sign is pictured at the company's annual general meeting in Montreal on March 11, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

MONTREAL — TC Transcontinental says it will appeal a Quebec Superior Court's ruling that dismissed its motion to quash a Mirabel bylaw it says threatens the distribution of its retail flyers.

The Montreal-based packaging and printing company says the bylaw requiring consumers to request its so-called Publisac would lead to the distribution method's demise due to prohibitive costs and complexity.

The city of Mirabel, north of Montreal, switched to an opt-in system for Publisac in October 2019.

Transcontinental says an opt-out system is simple and effective for those who do not wish to receive the Publisac used by more than 200,000 Quebec households.

The appeal comes a little more than a week after Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said the province's largest city will also adopt an opt-in system starting in May 2023 and that bags will no longer be plastic.

Plante says about 800,000 flyers and other unsolicited ads reach Montreal doorsteps each week, amounting to more than 41 million flyers per year that wind up in recycling depots and landfills. Montreal aims to become zero waste by 2030.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 20, 2022.

Companies in this story: (TSX:TCL.A)

The Canadian Press

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks