Iqaluit’s Kickin’ Caribou pub appeals Friday suspension orders

The Kickin’ Caribou pub will stay open on Fridays for now, pending an appeal they’ve launched against suspension orders made recently by the Nunavut Liquor Licencing Board. (FILE PHOTO)

Closed for business? Well — not yet.

The Hotel Arctic’s Kickin’ Caribou pub has been granted a stay by the court for the remaining three Fridays on which the pub’s operations were scheduled to have been suspended for violating the terms of their liquor license, pending an appeal.

“We appealed a stay order on the suspensions and it got granted until March when the appeal goes into hearing. So we are open Fridays from now on,” said general manager Claver Gonsalves.

The stay order does not release the bar from paying $12,000 in fines imposed on them by the Nunavut Liquor Licensing Board Sept 8.

Co-owner Donna Waters pleaded guilty to one charge of over-serving and two charges of allowing intoxicated individuals to stay on the premises.

Each charge carries with it a $4,000 fine.

A fourth charge for serving drinks beyond a specified time was thrown out by the board due to lack of evidence.

The restaurant has already served the first of four Friday suspensions imposed on them and did not open for business Sept. 11.

The restaurant maintains that the fines are unfair under the circumstances — but will pay them.

“It seems steep for an infraction that we did not even serve the guest, he came in from another establishment and we just served him coffee and water just to not throw him out into the February weather,” said Gonsalves.

Although the liquor board is aware of the stay on the suspensions, they have not yet been officially served notice for the court hearing in March and were unable to comment further.