From May 2023, the Publisac will cease to be delivered to all addresses. Instead, you will have to give your consent, according to the principle of voluntary membership, to receive it at home.
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The City of Montreal will distribute, to those who request it, a green sticker to affix to their mailbox so that they can continue to receive it. The Publisac will also be distributed in a paper bag, rather than a plastic bag.
“We have a goal of achieving zero waste by 2030. To achieve this, we must reduce the materials that go to landfill by 85%, explained the mayoress of Montreal, Valérie Plante. Yes, we must recycle and reuse, but above all, what is necessary is to reduce at the source.
Currently, approximately 800,000 Publisacs are distributed each week in Montreal, or more than 40 million per year. At the Lachine sorting center, they occupy a proportion of 10% of all the materials that are processed.
In 2019, following a petition, the City carried out a public consultation, in which 82% of people were in favor of setting up a voluntary membership system.
Last week, the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicated that there was an urgent need to act in order to fight once morest climate change.
“It is time to show courage, for the population and for our planet. Decisions have to be made which are not always easy, but which are the right ones. The status quo is no longer an option,” reiterated Mr.me Plant.
For its part, the official opposition welcomed this decision.
“We are delighted that the Plante administration has opted for the ‘opt-in’ system with regard to which we had [déjà] pronounced in favour,” said Aref Salem, conductor of Ensemble Montreal. He also said he was “reassured” that the changes would be made within a “reasonable” time.
local newspapers
The Publisac is also used to distribute several local weeklies on the island of Montreal.
“The City will find ways to better [les] to use as a local information platform, and will also set up a financial support program to facilitate this transition period,” assured Mayor Plante.
In the past year, the City had set up an advisory committee with industry representatives to reflect on recommendations that might be put in place. Details to that effect are expected to be announced in the coming months.
CEO of Metro Media, Andrew Mulé also chaired this committee. Although his group will be particularly affected by the measure, as he owns around twenty local newspapers, in addition to the Métro newspaper, Mr. Mulé was in favor of the City’s initiative.
“For environmental reasons, Métro Média supports this new by-law from the City of Montreal. This decision will lead to the need to review the mode of distribution by the Publisac, which will undeniably have collateral impacts on the local information industry,” he said in a press release.
He points out that the City’s financial support will be crucial to ensure a transition period for local newspapers.
TC Transcontinental dissatisfied
TC Transcontinental, owner of the Publisac, believes that the measure would rather lead to the “end of the distribution of flyers”. According to the company, the principle of voluntary membership would not be viable because of its complexity and the “prohibitive” costs that it would generate.
“In the current inflationary context, and at a time when the population is facing unprecedented price increases, the social and economic relevance of the Publisac is greater than ever,” said Patrick Brayley, Senior Vice President of the Distribution Group of TC Transcontinental.
According to the company, the withdrawal option would be more effective, since approximately 120,000 households would take advantage of it.
In 2019, the City of Mirabel adopted a similar by-law allowing its citizens to receive the Publisac on the basis of voluntary membership.
TC Transcontinental had however sued the City, considering that the regulations are “discriminatory”. The courts have not yet rendered a judgment in the case.
