Nunavut Liquor and Cannabis Board imposes penalties on Cambridge Bay Elks lodge

The Ikaluktutiak Elks Lodge in Cambridge Bay must pay a $5,000 fine and close from Nov. 3 to Nov. 7 because the Nunavut Liquor and Cannabis Board found the lodge did not respect the terms of its licence.

“The board acknowledges that a five-day suspension is a significant penalty, but it is warranted by the serious nature of the contravention for which it was imposed,” the board said in an Oct. 28 news release.

The penalty stems from allegations the board made after a liquor inspector did a spot check at the Elks clubhouse, Cambridge Bay’s only licensed establishment, in October 2019. The board said the Elks lodge “was found by the board to have obstructed the liquor inspector in the performance of her duties under the Liquor Act and the liquor regulations.”

The Elks lodge “was also found to have contravened provisions of the regulations relating to service of liquor and maintenance of a liquor inventory list.”

The board has the authority under the Liquor Act to suspend liquor licences for periods as long as 12 months.

The Nunavut Liquor and Cannabis Board held a hearing last month to consider “the allegations of contraventions of the Nunavut Liquor Act and liquor regulations made in respect of the operations of the Ikaluktutiak Elks,” the board said in its release.

“The licence holder did not acknowledge that it had contravened the liquor legislation as alleged and the board therefore held a hearing and heard from a number of witnesses for liquor enforcement and for the licence holder,” the release said.

“After deliberation, the board concluded that the charges were established and found the licence holder had contravened the legislation as charged.”

On Oct. 26, the board reconvened to consider submissions on penalties from the parties, deciding on the fine and suspension.

“In making its decisions, the board is mindful of the public interest and the expectation of Nunavummiut that their liquor laws will be obeyed,” the release said.

In January of this year, the Ikaluktutiak Elks lodge pleaded guilty to three out of four charges it faced under Nunavut’s Liquor Act, which regulates all activities relating to the sale and consumption of alcohol in Nunavut.

A Government of Nunavut liquor inspector had noted the violations during a spot check at the clubhouse in October 2019.

During the spot check, the inspector entered the premises, but was refused access to the liquor door leading to where permitted bottles are stored.

As well, the inspector noted that the Elks’ liquor dispenser did not conform to standards.

The Ikaluktutiak Elks Lodge operates legally as a licensed club in Nunavut. In 2011 when the Nunavut Liquor Commission board visited Cambridge Bay for a hearing on its liquor licence, the board said it was “impressed with the fact that the Elks were well-organized in preparing and submitting their application,” and “particularly in the fact that they have already ensured that a number of their members have received server training.”