A Winnipeg city councillor is hoping to convince her colleagues to regulate the use of trans fats in restaurants in the Manitoba capital.

Jenny Gerbasi, councillor for Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry, plans to introduce a motion Friday at City Hall asking the city to study the idea of restricting trans fats in a way similar to Calgary, which banned eateries from using margarines and cooking oils containing more than two per cent trans fats starting Jan. 1.

She also wants to force restaurants to declare their trans fat content.

The city cannot ignore a known health hazard, Gerbasi told CBC News on Wednesday, noting civic officials already monitor other potential problem substances, such as pesticides.

"If there was mercury or lead or something in the food restaurants were serving, people would be up in arms," she said. 

"I guess it's a newer issue for some people, but it's been established for quite some time, and more and more established and clear, that trans fats are dangerous to our health."

Citizens cannot rely on the majority of restaurants to make the change on their own, she said.

"If they do it voluntarily, then there would be no need to take this issue any further, but normally what we see in these types of issues is that there does, sometimes, need to be a little bit of regulation or a little bit of pressure."

Gerbasi might find she has a tough time convincing politicians to support her motion; Mayor Sam Katz has already said he opposes a ban.

City restaurants cutting trans fats

Some local restaurants have already made the change to reduce the use of the unhealthy compound.

Salisbury House, a Winnipeg institution hailed for its "nip" burgers and wafer pies, has committed to cutting trans fats from classic diner fare starting Jan. 15.

Gerry Lomonaco, owner of Sorrento's, has already switched to using canola oil in his deep fryer to help cut the trans-fat content in his restaurant's food.

"For myself, it was very easy, it was simply just bringing in the canola oil and taking out the liquid shortening," he said. "Maybe some restaurants or businesses that use a lot, it might be different."

But at the Fusion Grill, which has been trans fat-free for years, owner Scott McTaggart says Winnipeggers — not the government — should decide what they eat.

"You know what? I don't want anybody at City Hall or at Parliament Hill telling me what I'm supposed to eat or what I'm supposed to be serving our patrons," he said.

Trans fat is derived from a chemical process known as "partial hydrogenation," which converts liquid oils to a semi-solid form.

Food companies like them because they allow products to stay fresh on the shelves longer, and they're made from less expensive oils.

But trans fats raise the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or "bad" cholesterol, in the body.

While saturated fats — found in butter, cheese, beef, and coconut and palm oil — raise cholesterol levels, trans fats go further, also depleting the "good" cholesterol that helps protect against heart disease.

The body is unable to break down trans fatty acids, causing them to build up in the body, and contributing to clogging of the arteries that lead to the heart and brain.

Manitoba's government has announced plans to introduce legislation banning the sale of any food containing trans fats in schools.