Jeff Colbourne
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 25/98) - Fewer people are drinking in the North, according to the NWT Liquor Commission.

During the fiscal year ending March 31, 1997, the commission realized a net income of $15,755,000, a decrease of $150,000 (0.9 per cent) from the previous year.

"The trend has been for the last number of years the decrease in per capita consumption. It appears maybe now we are levelling off," said Ron Courtoreille, general manager of the commission. "Our per capita consumption compared to the rest of the country is not that significantly high depending on what product you look at."

In a national report the commission receives annually, the NWT is number 2 for per capita spirit consumption behind the Yukon.

When it comes to beer and wine, the NWT is further far down the list. "We're about fifth in Canada for beer and eight or ninth for wines," said Courtoreille.

The commission has a difficult time getting a handle on the actual number of drinkers, however, because of the transient population in the North.

Access to alcohol (outside of major centres)
No alcohol restrictions
Aklavik	Chesterfield Inlet	Grise Fiord
Sachs Harbour	Wrigley	Baker Lake
Tulita	Jean Marie River	Taloyoak
Bathurst Inlet	Colville Lake	Nanisivik
Trout Lake	Umingmaktok	Fort Resolution
Paulatuk	Tuktoyaktuk
Limits on alcohol purchases
Dettah	Cape Dorset	Fort Liard
Iqaluit	Rankin Inlet	Arctic Bay
Clyde River	Fort Simpson	Norman Wells
Repulse Bay	Broughton Island	Deline
Hall Beach	Pond Inlet	Resolute
Cambridge Bay	Fort Good Hope	Igloolik
Rae/Edzo
Prohibition on alcohol
Arviat	Pelly Bay	Whale Cove
Lutselk'e	Pangnirtung	Wha Ti
Kimmirut	Snare Lake	Tsiigehtchic
Gjoa Haven	Sanikiluaq	Coral Harbour
Rae Lakes	Nahanni Butte