Iqaluit legion fined, licence suspended for Liquor Act violations

Branch 168 will be closed starting July 12, reopen July 19

Royal Canada Legion branch 168 in Iqaluit was fined and handed a six-day liquor licence suspension July 3 by the Nunavut Liquor and Cannabis Board. (File photo courtesy of Royal Canadian Legion/Facebook)

By Nehaa Bimal

The Royal Canadian Legion branch in Iqaluit has been handed a six-day suspension of its liquor licence and a $10,000 fine by the Nunavut Liquor and Cannabis Board, effective July 12 at noon.

On Facebook Monday, the legion branch posted it will be closed from July 12 through July 18, and will reopen on July 19.

At a liquor board hearing July 3, representatives for Branch 168 pleaded guilty to two charges under Nunavut’s Liquor Act: continuing to serve alcohol to an intoxicated person, and obstructing a liquor board inspector, according to a board news release.

Records provided by the board indicate that on April 7, an inspector observed a bartender serving three drinks to a man who was visibly swaying, hiccupping, and slurring his words.

The man was eventually asked to leave.

When instructed by the inspector to close the premises for the night, the branch’s manager on duty did not comply and instead attempted to explain the overserving.

The lack of co-operation continued until the inspector turned on the lights and instructed the bartenders to stop serving.

At the July 3 hearing, the legion branch initially faced seven counts of violations of the Liquor Act in which an intoxicated person was allowed to remain on the premises. Five charges were withdrawn.

Branch president John Graham and general manager Sharif Ibrahim took part in the hearing, which was conducted virtually. Both assured the board they have taken steps to ensure all staff are properly trained and aware that directions from liquor inspectors must be followed.

In its decision, the board said Branch 168 has until July 12 to pay the $10,000 fine or continue the license suspension.

Nunatsiaq News contacted the legion through its Facebook page and was redirected to their email. The legion did not respond to an email seeking a comment about the suspension.

 

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(16) Comments:

  1. Posted by Norman k on

    Inspectors…..fun police.

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    • Posted by SARCASM on

      Hope fully , they blacklist , Mr. Hiccupp for costing them 10 grand.

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  2. Posted by JOHNNY on

    Does, Inspector Clouseau , flash his badge , when he enter the bar, or after the bust ?

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  3. Posted by Drunk bars on

    There are certain bars in town (most of them) that are ”drunk bars” where a good percentage of the people there will be sloppy drunk by the time they leave.

    Believe it or not, some people like to go out and not get sloppy. You don’t see them out around Iqaluit much because not many bars value these customers. Maybe it’s because they don’t spend enough? Either way, it gets old when you’re minding your own business and someone who’s loaded comes to sit with you and bait you into an argument or whatever.

    It’s a vicious cycle for the bars. All the major ones in town (Storehouse, Legion, Chartroom, Elks, and now new hotel) are competing for the drunkest customers who’ll blow their entire paycheck there and will only cut them off when absolutely necessary. Repeat offenders are usually welcome back if they have money. So why would anyone who doesn’t get routinely sloppy want to go to become regular customers? They don’t. They’ll go one place a few times until it gets bad, try another, and after a while you get tired of trying and stay home. A lot of people eventually grow out of going to bars, but Iqaluit will accelerate that lesson for you.

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    • Posted by Pássaro on

      Ne pouvez-vous faire interdire la vente d’alcool ?..
      Je sais, c’est compliqué sûrement mais au vu de ses ravages et des violences : domestiques, sur les Enfants, les Femmes en plus des troubles à l’ordre public et l’incapacité des gens à se discipliner…
      Que dire du canabis ?..
      C’est en vente libre ????
      Ce qui est malsain et affreux, c’est aussi de ne pouvoir se détendre et venir prendre un verre, un café, un jus de fruit sans être dans une ambiance infernale..
      On peut aimer partager un bon moment avec sa famille, dans un café, un bar, sans se voir confronté à des alcooliques et toxicomanes :
      Beurk…. 🤢

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  4. Posted by Truestory on

    The powers that be wants us to drink, the powers that be wanting us to stop drinking. Let me smoke weed on this delimma.

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    • Posted by Whik on

      Drinking does not mean getting drunk.

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    • Posted by Pássaro on

      On est libre de choisir son chemin…
      Personne ne mettrait de force une bouteille d’alcool dans la bouche pour forcer quelqu’un à ingurgiter du poison…
      ON TOMBE TOUJOURS DU CÔTÉ OÙ L’ON PENCHE ☝️

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  5. Posted by Good work! on

    Kudos to the inspector, and to the Board for backing the inspector up with a penalty. Like Drunk Bars says, most who go out don’t want to see “sloppy.” More important, it’s when folks get hammered that things go bad for themselves and others around them. Drinks out with friends should be fun, not dangerous. Hopefully this slap on the wrist reminds the Legion and other bars that they have a role to play when serving.

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    • Posted by Northerner on

      My friend got paid , instead of paying off his bills, he spent most of his pay cheque on booze and is in jail on assault charges.

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      • Posted by Pássaro on

        Si triste… Que dire !!
        Pouvez-vous le conduire à consulter un Médecin rapidement ?…

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        • Posted by ᐅᑭᐅᑕᖅᑐᒥᐅᑦ on

          ᐊᔪᖅᓇᓗᐊᑯᓂ ᐃᓱᒪᖅᓱᒪ

  6. Posted by is that a crime?! on

    If hiccuping at a bar is a crime, then I am Nunavut’s most notorious criminal!!

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    • Posted by Pássaro on

      Si tant est qu’il ne s’agisse que d’une personne ayant l’intégrité de ses neurones en parfait état de fonctionnement….

      • Posted by is that a crime?! 2 on

        kuoi??

  7. Posted by alex on

    The legion is a dump, shut it down for good.

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