OTTAWA – The Federal Court of appeal is expected issue a ruling that could end Ottawa’s ban of some single-use plastics today.
In 2023, a Federal Court judge said Ottawa had overstepped in designating all “plastic manufactured items” as toxic.
Ottawa appealed that ruling, which came a year after the federal government used the toxic designation to regulate a ban on the manufacturing and importing of six types of single-used plastics.
Some of the everyday items wrapped up in the ban included grocery bags, straws, stir sticks and the six-pack rings used to hold soda and beer cans.
The government said it chose those items because they were among the most commonly found as litter and had known and accessible alternatives.
Behind the lawsuit challenging the toxic designation was the Responsible Plastic Use Coalition, which represents companies from the plastics industry that do business in Canada, along with three chemical companies that make plastics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2026.
— With files from Mia Rabson.
