Four communities to vote on booze regulations

On Nov. 10, voters in Baker Lake, Kugluktuk, Rankin Inlet and Resolute Bay will decide whether they want to change their communities’ restrictions on the sale, distribution and consumption of booze.

Kelvin Ng, the minister responsible for the territorial liquor act, called the plebiscites after receiving petitions with more than 20 names from each of the four communities.

In Baker Lake and Kugluktuk, voters will be asked if they would like an alcohol committee that would determine who can buy, possess or bring booze into the community.

Kugluktuk wants to tighten up its control on booze and cut back on the number of offenses committed. Nearly all crimes in the community involve alcohol.

In Rankin Inlet, a petition asked that the Rankin Inlet Liquor Restriction Regulations be repealed. At present, residents must order booze from Iqaluit or Churchill, Manitoba.

The only regular sale or purchase of booze in town is at the Sinittarvik Hotel — and it’s for registered hotel guests only.
However, the local Legion wants to expand its once-a-week special alcohol permit to open a members-only licensed club with daily service. Two dining rooms in Rankin Inlet also want to serve alcohol with meals and, as well, the Sinittarvik Hotel wants to open a licensed lounge.

In Resolute Bay, voters will also decide whether to repeal their local liquor restriction regulations. An Alcohol Education Committee now decides who may purchase and possess alcohol in Resolute, but some members of the community want to drop this committee, along with the limits on purchasing and possession of booze.

Change requires at least 60 per cent of the votes cast in a plebiscite, and, if the change is rejected, voters can’t be asked the same question in another plebiscite for at least three years.

At the request of the Iqaluit MLAs, a petition for Iqaluit that asked for a retail liquor outlet to open in town has been deferred to a later date.