To the tune of 38-4, Toronto city council has overwhelmingly voted in favour of banning both the possession and consumption of shark fins and now appears to be urging other Greater Toronto Area (GTA) communities to follow suit. The proposed bylaw would impose fines ranging from $5,000 for a first offence to $100,000 for a third offence.

The controversial decision comes after Mayor Rob Ford stated he doesn't believe it's the city's responsibility to ban the sale of shark fins. "There's all these misconceptions about what they're doing; it's been going on for so long. I don't know why all of a sudden they're making an issue. My personal vote, no, I'm not going to support the ban," Ford said.

Approximately 200 people gathered outside Toronto City Hall to protest the proposition, with many wearing signs calling the potential ban an "unfair and irresponsible act." Some argue that a Toronto ban in will not eliminate the problem, as customers who want shark fin soup will just travel to another municipality that doesn't have a ban.

Barbara Chiu of the Toronto Chinese Business Association said the city needs to reconsider the proposition.” Endangered species and the shark fisheries should be taken care of by the federal government," Chiu said. "We hope city council can vote by rationale and information instead of emotion.” The protestors mostly avoided commenting on shark finning’s ethical issues, instead focusing on the fact that it isn't a local issue.

City council, however, was not convinced. Coun.Glenn De Baeremaeker countered the claim by stating the ban is not an attack on city businesses and that taking shark-fin soup off the menu certainly won't mean bankruptcy.

"For a city the size and influence of Toronto to pass a shark fin bill is a historic moment for Canada,” said Claudia Li, founder of Shark Truth, a non-profit organization supporting shark conservation. “Councillors are setting an example of how we can protect sharks from the wasteful practice of finning." Toronto is now the fourth city in Ontario to enact a shark fin ban, joining Brantford, Oakville, and Mississauga. The U.S. state of California enacted a statewide shark fin ban earlier this month.

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