Iqaluit beer-wine store consultation just “the first step,” GN says

Iqaluit’s liquor warehouse is the government’s favoured location for a possible beer and wine retail outlet in the city. (PHOTO BY PETER VARGA)

Chris D’Arcy, Nunavut’s deputy minister of finance, right, inside a conference room packed to capacity at an Oct. 7 public meeting for a proposed beer and wine store in Iqaluit. (PHOTO BY PETER VARGA)

The Government of Nunavut’s proposal to open a beer and wine store in Iqaluit drew extraordinary attendance at a public consultation meeting, Oct. 7 – and overwhelming opposition from Iqalungmiut who packed the room.

But that opposition represents just part of the public opinion the government will consider in its decision to open the proposed store, says Chris D’Arcy, deputy minister of finance.

Up to 170 residents of various ages, backgrounds and occupations came to the meeting. Only 110 to 115 of them could fit into the room at any one time, the deputy minister said.

Despite this, D’Arcy, who headed up the public meeting, admitted that the discussion was dominated by elders and residents who highlighted the harm alcohol has done to their families and the community.

Practically all speakers had lived in Iqaluit long enough to recall when the community last hosted a liquor store, in the early-1970s, and many speakers were self-admitted recovered alcoholics.

Before it makes a decision on whether to open a store, however, the government must also consider information compiled from other consultations with community groups, a survey by the Nunavut Liquor Commission, and public reaction on social media, D’Arcy told Nunatsiaq News.

“Regardless of how many people were able to speak, we obviously appreciate what the speakers had to tell us,” D’Arcy said in a recent interview. “And we’ll give it its own fair weight as we move forward.”

Nunavut’s Department of Finance directs the Nunavut Liquor Commission, which is responsible for sales of beer, wine and spirits in the territory.

The department proposed the pilot project after 95 Iqaluit residents showed their support for the idea by way of a petition, which they sent to the government in July.

“Everybody feels really passionately about this subject,” D’Arcy said. “Virtually every person has been touched, and continues to be touched by alcohol in the territory. So it’s no surprise whatsoever that there are very strong feelings, pro and con, about the whole liquor subject.”

Government of Nunavut organizers estimated up to 115 residents packed into the Baffin Room conference hall at Frobisher Inn, with as many as 50 more seeking entry at one point, D’Arcy said.

Of these, up to 30 took the microphone to share their views at the forum, he said. Only three of these clearly stated they were in favour of the pilot project to open to open a beer and wine outlet in the city.

D’Arcy noted that many of those not in favour called for the government to hold a city-wide vote on the question.

“We’ll consider that,” he said.

“We’re information-gathering at this point in time,” he said, Oct. 10. “This was the first step, and now we have to consider what the second step is going to be.”

The government also met privately community with “interest groups” on Oct. 7, to describe how it intends to move forward on the project.

Among them were the Tammaativvik boarding home. D’Arcy said he could not name any other groups without their permission.

“We’d be open to do more consultations with other groups, should they wish to meet with us,” he said.

Residents can still give their views on the pilot project in a written survey, available online and at the liquor permits office. Surveys must be submitted by the end of November.

The government will also consider opinions posted in online forums and social media, D’Arcy said.

“I should think we’re going to be using social media information anecdotally, only,” he said.

On that note, D’Arcy said the views of Inuit elders can’t be discounted, even though their dominance at the public hearing might have given a false impression that most residents favour an outright ban on beverage alcohol.

“We’ll take that into consideration,” he said.

“It’s important to get the views of the elders, there’s no question about that,” he added. “And the only way we’re going to get those views is through a public consultation.

“Our elders are not going to use social media. They’re not going to fill out an online survey and send it in. So the only way to really connect with them is face to face. In that respect, there’s no question that this consultation was a success.”

Once it’s done collecting opinions and information from the public and “special interest groups,” D’Arcy said his department will bring “some options to cabinet, to see how we may move forward.”

The government does not have a set schedule for approval of the outlet, he said, but if the project does go forward, “the earliest we could open would be the summer of 2015,” he said.

The next earliest opportunity would be the summer of 2016, after the start of the sealift.

“There are supply-chain management issues — more than anything else — that we have to concern ourselves with, in terms of getting the product in here,” D’Arcy said.

The pilot project proposal includes details on purchase limits, and location of the beer and wine outlet.

The government’s favoured location for the outlet is Iqaluit’s liquor warehouse, or any other location that is easy to reach within the city.

“We don’t want to put a store like that in a remote location that would cause people grief to be able to get there, or get away from it,” D’Arcy told residents at the public meeting, Oct. 7.

All buyers would have to present verifiable photo identification every time they order beer and wine from the outlet.

Buyers would have to purchase set quantities.

The Department of Finance presented these as a minimum of six cans or bottles of beer per visit, and maximum quantities limited to:

• 12 cans or bottles of beer, and two bottles of wine per day

• 48 cans or bottles of beer and one case of wine (eight bottles) per week

Hours would be restricted. The deputy minister presented a possible example of noon to 7:00 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday.

Iqalungmiut can still give their opinion on the proposal by Nov. 30, in Department of Finance’s survey. You can find the survey on the department’s website and at the liquor permits office in Iqaluit.