Board to study Nunavut’s booze control laws

DENISE RIDEOUT

IQALUIT — Nunavut’s liquor-licensing board is heading out to the communities next month to review one of the most politically charged laws in the territory: the Liquor Act.

Goo Arlooktoo, chair of the board, calls the review of the act a “political hot potato.”

“The three hottest topics in Nunavut are polar bear quotas, whale quotas — and alcohol,” he said.

Arlooktoo and the board are on a mission to visit communities, get Nunavummiut’s opinions on the Liquor Act and make recommendations for changes.

Within the next six weeks, the board will travel to eight communities, making sure to include hamlets from the territory’s three regions.

The liquor-licensing board, created a year-and-a-half ago, has the power to issue, renew, or cancel alcohol licences. It’s also been mandated to undertake a review of the current Liquor Act.

“There is a lot of interest in this issue. Alcohol is a very emotional issue,” Arlooktoo said.

In Nunavut there are three community policies on alcohol.

“Dry” or “prohibited” communities, such as Pangnirtung or Whale Cove, don’t allow any alcohol to be imported or sold.

In open communities, such as Iqaluit, alcohol may be bought in restaurants and bars and imported in limited quantities.

In restricted hamlets, people who want to import alcohol must go before a community committee to get permission.

Most of the complaints Arlooktoo hears as chair of the board come from the prohibited communities. He said it’s in those communities where bootlegging is a major problem.

According to Arlooktoo, the Pond Inlet hamlet council is particularly interested in the board’s visit because they want to talk about people illegally bringing liquor into the community.

There’s an intriguing debate about alcohol being waged in the territory’s capital.

Arlooktoo said there’s a group of long-time residents who are vehemently opposed to more liquor establishments opening in the town. On the other hand, some people say there should be a place in town to buy wine and beer.

“There are people asking when a liquor store will be opened here,” he said.

Arlooktoo expects that debate will be played out in the upcoming Iqaluit public meeting.

The review panel will get some help from the RCMP — the very people who are out in the communities dealing regularly with crimes involving alcohol. The RCMP plans to provide the board with statistics on how many alcohol-related crimes they deal with on a monthly basis.

“We have heard anecdotal evidence and some of the emotional stories about alcohol. But having exact numbers of what the RCMP has to deal with is important too,” he said.

Arlooktoo is anticipating the community consultations to be quite emotional, as many Nunavummiut have been affected in one way or another by alcohol.

Liquor is blamed for almost 85 per cent of violent crimes committed in the territory, as well as for Nunavut’s high incidence of fetal alcohol syndrome.

After the community consultations are completed, the board will put together a report outlining suggested changes to the Liquor Act. It will present it to the legislative assembly later in the year.