An end to plastic shopping bags?

James Arreak, MLA for Uqqummiut, was praised last Friday for bringing up a messy issue in the legislative assembly – shopping bags that are littering the territory.

“Plastic shopping bags can be found in every community and we use these bags for almost everything,” Arreak said in Inuktitut. “Although these bags come in handy, they are harming our environment. They are also potentially very harmful to our wildlife.”

Arreak pointed to Alaska, where about 30 villages have already banned the plastic bags, and then asked if the minister of the environment would provide support for communities that decide to replace the plastic bags with reusable ones.

Minister of the Environment Olayuk Akesuk, MLA for South Baffin, thanked Arreak for raising the issue and promised to look at the policies in other communities and hold discussons with officials from the retail outlets.