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INUVIK - A ban on non-biodegradable plastic shopping bags may be closer to becoming a reality.

Town council discussed the issue of the bag ban at its committee-of-the-whole meeting on Monday night.

The first and second readings of the bylaw were to be scheduled to be held during the regular council meeting on Wednesday night.

The bylaw would take effect in 2010, with education programs being scheduled for the next year.

The fines for any retailer not enforcing the ban is $100.

Coun. Clarence Wood asked why the fine is a definite $100 and not higher.

SAO Sara Brown said the bylaw was written with the smaller businesses in mind.

Deputy Mayor Chris Larocque said he would like to see a similar bylaw passed by the Tuktoyaktuk town council before voting on the Inuvik motion.

"I'd like to see what they have in their bylaw," he said.

Coun. Terry Halifax said he was not opposed to waste reduction, but does not see merit in the bag ban.

"I'm not opposed to reducing waste, but I am opposed to making a law against it," he said on Monday night.

Halifax said the town is passing too many bylaws without a bylaw officer in place.

"We have too many unenforceable bylaws, it's getting ridiculous," said Halifax.

Halifax said the plastic bags are not as big an issue as they are being made out to be.

"I've never seen a ticket against littering in Inuvik," he said.

"These bags account for one or two per cent of the trash in our landfill."

He said his biggest concern is that the added cost of the biodegradable bags could be passed on to the consumer by the retailer.

"I don't want the cost of living to rise for anyone in the North," he said. "I don't think this is something we should force on the retailers."

He said there are plenty more pop cans and chip bags on the streets than the plastic shopping bags.

"Are we going to come up with a pop can bylaw too?" he asked the council.

"This is an education issue, not a law issue ... I don't see the public support for this ban," he said.

Coun. Vince Brown agreed with Halifax, stating he didn't see a need for the bylaw.

In response to Halifax's statements, Larocque said he saw no reason why council should not pass the bag ban. "The only opposition we're seeing for this is from this council," he said.

Low attendance at the public meeting about the ban shows that nobody is opposed to the ban, he added. "I don't see an objection to this," he said.

Wood said he was stunned that anyone would not be on board with the ban.

"It amazes me that anyone would be against this," said Wood.