Iqaluit liquor store could hurt communities

I just read the letter that Bryan Pearson wrote to the Nunatsiaq News editor about bootleggers and I felt the need to share my thoughts on that.
 
What he doesn’t realize is if and when the city of Iqaluit gets a liquor store, then people who come here for hospital care and so on will buy a couple of bottles and also make someone elese buy a couple more bottles and they will bring those bottles back to smaller communities and sell them for $500 each.

Some smaller communities do make the choice of going dry for their own reasons.

Why can’t Bryan just respect that? The bootlegging business will be around for many more years to come. I just know that when there is alcohol in smaller communities, even here in Iqaluit, children have to put up with the consequences of getting beat up, skipping school, going hungry, being sexually abused, and so on.

I’m sure it really sounds like a good idea for people to open a pub that serves beer, but before that happens why not think about opening a community hall for everyone to use? A

Alcohol is not important. It should be the last priority, not the first. I just want children to live being cared for and to be able to go home where they feel safe.

Bryan has lived in Iqaluit long enough to know there are many, many irresponsible drinkers. Why is he trying to put forward the idea of pubs in each community?
 
Priscilla Allurut
Iqaluit

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