It's Toronto for the moment but an Ontario court has struck down a bylaw of Toronto banning shark sin soup.
As the article points out, North Van has this bylaw as well. While we don't have the extent of the problem of the big cities, far too many Councillors in Canada want to do the job of their MLA or MP usually when they are of a different party than that person.
The media spotlight that politicians crave doesn't shine on the job of fixing our roads and sewers and the grandstand awaits. When you have a Councillor who is running to abandon his Council seat, grandstanding becomes a regular occurrence at the expense of the City.
Of course, since the way they have encroached federal jurisdiction and the Council has put the City at risk as businesses may sue.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1296372--toronto-councillors-outraged-after-shark-fin-ban-struck-down
A column by Trevor Lautens in July just after the passage of the bylaw.
http://www.nsnews.com/news/soup+regime+puts+democracy+shame/6963034/story.html
Kudos to Councillors Bookham and Heywood for voting against this.
Personally, I think it is wrong if the whole shark is not being used for food but the cutting off of fins and tossing a body overboard is wrong. I did notice in the Star article that they had a picture from San Francisco and one from Dubai so I doubt there is a big problem in Canada. But of course, Councillor Keating got he wanted, his name in the papers and a few TV clips.
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