New bar proposal comes before liquor board

IQALUIT — A controversial proposal to open a new bar in Iqaluit is now before Nunavut’s new liquor licensing board.

The Nunavut Liquor Licensing Board held its first official meeting last week in Iqaluit. Board members considered a cocktail lounge licence application for a proposed establishment in Iqaluit.

Iqaluit residents Elisapee Sheutiapik, Ross Bennett and Carmen Kootoo want to open an establishment in Iqaluit’s West 40 area that would be called the “Uvagut Bar.”

The proposal has received heated responses from many Iqaluit residents, who say a new bar is the last thing their community needs. But the bar’s proponents say they have 850 signatures on a petition supporting the move.

Liquor board chairperson Goo Arlooktoo said in a press release that the group must now publish their proposal locally, and that a public hearing may be held in the fall in Iqaluit.

Members of public can register any objections with the liquor board’s office in Hay River.

The Iqaluit Town Council has already said it will publicly oppose any new licence applications for the next five years.

The board will make a final decision to grant or turn down the application after any public hearings that might be held.