Council begrudgingly approves third beer garden

DENISE RIDEOUT

After a heated debate among councillors, Iqaluit city council approved a request by a local softball association to hold a four-day beer garden during the Labour Day weekend.

It’s the third beer garden council has approved this summer.

The event will run in conjunction with a softball tournament at federal field, and money from beer sales will help send a Nunavut team to the Canadian championships next August.

But the decision to grant the softball association another beer garden permit wasn’t made lightly.

When the Iqaluit arm of the softball association came to council earlier this summer, councillors raised concerns the event would turn into a drinking binge. Those concerns surfaced again at this week’s meeting, as councillors questioned whether they should be promoting drinking in the community.

In a letter to council, Erle Deschene, coordinator for Slo-Pitch Nunavut, asked permission to operate the beer garden for five hours on Aug. 30 and for 12 hours on Aug. 31, Sept. 1 and Sept. 2.

Councillor Glenn Williams dismissed the softball tournament as nothing more than an excuse for softball association members to drink on public property.

Both he and councillor Lynda Gunn questioned why the softball players need 12 hours of drinking time. Gunn recommended council approve the beer garden only if drinking is limited to eight hours a day, from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Williams was also opposed to the beer garden being open on a Sunday. “Are we really going to support drinking on a Sunday?” he asked angrily.

Deputy mayor Kirt Ejesiak spoke out against the drinking event, saying alcohol is to blame for many crimes in the city. “We’ve had a rash of problems in our community and I think they were all alcohol-related. We have to take these things seriously,” he said.

Councillor Chris Wilson was the lone voice in support of the event. He said turning down the beer garden wouldn’t prevent people in Iqaluit from drinking. He accused the other councillors of trying to blame the beer garden for all of Iqaluit’s social ills.

Before the matter went to a vote, chief bylaw officer Travise Dow told council the bylaw department will monitor the event. He also pointed out that the softball association’s two previous beer gardens ran smoothly.
Council approved the permit for the beer garden, adding strict conditions that it operate for only eight hours on Aug. 31, Sept. 1 and Sept. 2. Councillors approved the permit four-to-one, with Williams voting against it.