GN promotes community cleanups across Nunavut

It’s that time of year, Iqalungmiut, when the clean blanket of snow melts to reveal a winter’s worth of refuse. The city has set aside June 17 for this year’s spring clean up in Iqaluit. Come join in to make the capital beautiful again. Meet at the visitor’s centre between 9 a.m. and noon to pick up gloves and a garbage bag. Some Government of Nunavut employees can request up to two hours off work to help out. (PHOTO BY STEVE DUCHARME)

With sunny days and warmer temperatures, spring cleaning is in full swing inside many homes across the territory.

But the Government of Nunavut would like residents — after polishing up their own living space — to donate time to clean up their communities before summer.

In Iqaluit, that date has been set for June 17 when Iqalungmiut are asked to go to the Unikkaarvik Visitors Centre, between 9 a.m. and noon, to help clean up the city.

At that location, GN staff will give out bags and gloves and send volunteers to various areas of the city.

“It’s really valuable because it does get people together, not just to clean up, but also to get people thinking about how much garbage there really is,” said the GN’s pollution prevention program specialist, Sidney Horlick.

“Once you start picking it up, it gets people starting to think about their own habits and what they do with their own garbage as well.”

And if unbridled civic duty doesn’t sway you to participate in the cleanup, maybe a free trip down south will?

Four pairs of tickets donated by Canadian North and Calm Air will be given out in a draw to volunteers across Nunavut’s four regions: North Baffin, South Baffin, the Kivalliq and the Kitikmeot.

If you work for the GN, your supervisor may allow you to take time off to volunteer for as long two hours.

All 25 Nunavut communities will participate in the event, at various times over the coming months.

Because of lingering snow, Horlick said many hamlets have yet to set dates for their own cleanups, but provided a tentative list of the communities that have confirmed.

Here’s the list of the communities scheduled to hold cleanup events so far:

• Arctic Bay, July 7;

• Cape Dorset, July 14;

• Hall Beach, July 15;

• Kimmirut, July 15;

• Taloyoak, July 25; and,

• Gjoa Haven, July 12.

For information about your own community’s cleanup plans, please contact your local hamlet office.