Businessman asks city council for permission to extend hours

Bylaw change would allow pinball wizards to play all night

An Iqaluit businessman wants to extend the hours of his pool-hall-and-pinball-type arcade.

Andrew Riendeau, owner of the Arcade, is looking to keep his small business open later on the weekends.

Right now, under the City of Iqaluit’s Business Bylaw, arcades have to shut down at midnight each night.

At the Feb. 13 council meeting, Riendeau requested the council amend the bylaw so that he can extend his hours until 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. His arcade, which opened in October, has pool tables, pinball machines, an air hockey game, and is smoke-free.

Council gave the amendments a first reading. Councillors took that step to get people talking about the issue.

“The desires of the council were to initiate some discussion within the community to find out if there were concerns from parents or from youth,” said councillor Glenn Williams. “They want to open up dialogue on the issue of the arcade being open past midnight.”

The amendments can only be made into law if the council votes to give it second and third readings.

But before that happens, the council wants to get public input.