Michelle Berardinetti says the (sizable) bag tax proceeds should go to trees—not retailers

Toronto’s five-cent plastic bag tax could boost Toronto’s environmental cred in a new way: Councillor Michelle Berardinetti wants to put some of the cash that retailers collect—and currently keep—towards helping the city’s trees. A staff report, released today, suggests that part of the $5.4 million collected annually go towards replacing aging trees and greenery destroyed by the emerald ash borer, an invasive tree annihilator. But, though Berardinetti already brought up the idea with Rob Ford during a recent sit-down, it’s hard to imagine him supporting this idea. He’s come out strong against the bag tax in the past (and getting rid of it seems to be one of his few concrete plans for the near future). [Globe and Mail]