CLASSIFIEDS ADVERTISING SPECIAL ISSUES SPORTS CARTOONS OBITUARIES NORTHERN JOBS TENDERS

business pages

NNSL Photo/Graphic

Subscriber pages
buttonspacer News Desk
buttonspacer Columnists
buttonspacer Editorial
buttonspacer Readers comment
buttonspacer Tenders

Demo pages
Here's a sample of what only subscribers see

Subscribe now
Subscribe to both hardcopy or internet editions of NNSL publications

Advertising
Our print and online advertising information, including contact detail.
SSIMicro

Home page text size buttonsbigger textsmall textText size Email this articleE-mail this page


Are stores taking advantage of bag fees?
Environment award winner upset other businesses may be pocketing plastic bag levy

Kevin Allerston
Northern News Services
Published Tuesday, April 19, 2011

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Canadian Tire owner Warren Pariseau is ticked off at some Yellowknife business owners... but he's not sure exactly who.

NNSL photo/graphic

Yellowknife Canadian Tire owner Warren Pariseau is not pleased to learn some Yellowknife shopkeepers are pocketing the 25 cents charged for single-use bags, money that is supposed to go into a fund to promote recycling. - NNSL file photo

Pariseau attended a Solid Waste Management Forum town hall on Thursday where he learned that some Yellowknife business owners have been pocketing the 25 cent charge on plastic bags that is supposed to go towards waste reduction programs.

"When the person from the GNWT presented, it came out that there's a few businesses in town that stocked up on bags -- like a year's supply -- so they didn't have to pay any money into the program and are now charging customers 25 cents as a profit generator," said Pariseau, who received an environmental award at the forum for making his store plastic bag-free.

The Single-use Retail Bag Program was implemented in January 2010 to have grocery stores charge customers 25 cents for single use bags. In February 2011 regulations were expanded to apply to all NWT stores.

Pariseau said a representative from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) was giving a presentation last Thursday on the bag program and mentioned they knew of a few businesses in town that were pocketing the fee, but said it wasn't a rampant problem.

"It absolutely burns me when I hear stuff like that -- it's just wrong on so many levels," said Pariseau. "And whoever it is, you've now got members of the public, myself included, that could be going into this place figuring that if you need a bag you buy one and (the money) goes into this recycling pool... but really, it's not going there.

"What you're doing is you're paying 25 cents for a two-cent bag. They're collecting it under the guise that it's this tax, but really it's going into their pocket. From what I understand, they've had some legal advice that there's not much they can do about it.

"I mean, it just doesn't make any sense. I'm all for capitalism, but give me a break. If living in the North now means you have to try making money off of that... that's pretty sad. The general public should know," said Pariseau.

Yellowknifer called ENR for clarification and was told the department knew there was a potential risk that some businesses would take advantage of the system.

"We didn't want to create a program which would burden retailers. So, when we rolled out the program we made a decision that we won't charge retailers for existing stock," said Hall. "So we recognized that there was a risk that some may take advantage of that."

"In the presentation we explained that we knew of this risk, but we don't know of any businesses that are actually doing this," said Hall. "Anybody who is, I think, will be sitting on a lot of bags for a long time to come."

He said the program has been successful in reducing the use of plastic bags by as much as 70 per cent.

E-mailWe welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.