Tired of outrageous grocery costs

I speak for everyone when I say it is never a good shopping experience at the stores in any Nunavut stores because everyone knows how unacceptably expensive food is.

To make it even worse the produce and products are either nearly expired or have expired long time ago.

I know that here in Iqaluit, Northmart puts fresher foods and stocks behind the nearly expired food just so we can buy the older food. It seems like every time we buy a decently-priced product, the next day they increase the price dramatically. It’s insane.

I think I also have the right to say I speak for everyone when I say we are fed up with being taken advantage of here in Nunavut. Just because there is hardly any competition of any kind, most companies take advantage of this and feel they have the power to increase prices.

For example, when I mention First Air everyone automatically thinks “over the roof” because it’s impossible to go on a personal pleasure trip anywhere since they charge impossible prices.

Why are the companies being so greedy? How is it that these greedy presidents of all companies in Nunavut go home to a nice hot meal, relax with their feet up, and be able to go to sleep while there are thousands of hungry children who don’t get enough to eat?

How is it that the government that had the power to change the time zones in 1999 does not work hard enough to deliver or even consider putting money in for food program in smaller communities?

Otherwise, people wouldn’t be crying and angry about having to work to pay off their charge accounts, only to reuse them after and ask to borrow until pay-day.

In 2005, I went to Arctic Bay for business. I went to their Northern store to check out what they had to offer. I ended up asking the manager, who apparently on holiday at the time, about why he was charging $63 for 10 frozen chicken drumsticks. I was so angry I ended having to leave the store. That price is unnacceptable.

We are very nice people in a very bad situation. All governments should understand why we nag them about everything.

To all Nunavut beneficiaries, this is a perfect time to move in and demand better solutions, because obviously Northern Store managers and the First Air board are not making considerable changes for the better any time soon.

We can’t let companies know that we are weak. Let’s put an end to this. Let’s demand lower prices and fresher foods. Let’s demand more jobs. What are we waiting for? For Piita Aatami and his crew to retire?

The First Air and Canadian North companies were whining and obviously very defensive when Air Canada Jazz decided to start coming to Iqaluit.

Why is that? Because they felt they were going to be forced to lower their prices. And their excuse was Nunavut needs their own businesses. That’s bull.

I hope we’ll get feedback from this letter. It’s time to step up and demand new solutions that actually work for people like me and you, regular taxpayers who have children to feed.

Priscilla Allurut
Iqaluit

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