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IQALUIT - Iqaluit mayor Elisapee Sheutiapik received a warm welcome from council, having returned from her territorial election campaign.

Sheutiapik was back in council chambers on Tuesday night after taking a leave of absence this past month to run for MLA in the riding of Iqaluit West.

Iqaluit mayor Elisapee Sheutiapik returned to council after her unsuccessful bid for the Iqaluit West seat in the territorial election. --NNSL file photo

“I grew up while I was campaigning,” the mayor told council. “There are a lot of hardships in the community.”

Safety committee in the works
The town hall meeting held on public safety could be the start of great things for the community, Iqaluit city council heard last week. At a council meeting on Oct. 28, deputy mayor Jim Little reported he had received many emails and calls following the public safety forum the week before.

The demonstrated interest from Iqalummiut to keep the streets safe is heartening, he told council.

“I’m extremely optimistic about what it could do for the area,” said Little.

He said areas that could be addressed based on the concerns and ideas raised at the public safety meeting include infrastructure, such as the development of trails and improved lighting, and public education on safety.

It is also important that local police are given more resources and time to put into crime prevention, said Little. He added that a greater public awareness on how to reach out to the victims of violence is vital as well.

“We’re a small community and within ourselves we need to reach out to these people,” Little told council.

Mayor Elisapee Sheutiapik said there were 15 people who signed up to participate in a public safety committee following the meeting on Oct. 21. A second meeting will be called in the near future so the group can get established.

Public hearing on bag bylaw

A public hearing on the proposed plastic bag bylaw will be held on Nov. 3.

The proposed regulation prohibits local businesses from providing plastic bags to their customers. Violations of the ban would incur a fine of $100. On Tuesday night, the mayor reminded council that the businesses in town had expressed unanimous support for banning plastic bags before the bylaw was drafted.