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Recommendations

The Territorial Liquor Board made 10 recommendations for changes to the Liquor Act:

  • Provide a method for Nunavummiut to request more liberal access to alcohol.
  • Lower import fees required for alcohol imported into the territory.
  • Review penalties for unlawful sale of liquor.
  • Ensure special occasion permits can be issued from all hamlet offices.
  • Rename Alcohol Education Committees Oversight Committees; ensure they are elected, separate from the hamlet council and receive honorariums.
  • Government officials with Liquor Licensing and Enforcement should provide support to community committees.
  • Develop and distribute pamphlets outlining various to all Nunavummiut.
  • Review measures to help people with alcohol abuse problems.


    • A new approach to the bottle

    Minister hopes to have new laws in place early next year

    Kevin Wilson
    Northern News Services

    Iqaluit (Nov 26/01) - Nunavummiut should be able to ask for more liberal access to alcohol, according to a report by the territorial Liquor Licensing Board. Finance Minister Kelvin Ng, who is responsible for the board, tabled the long-awaited report in the legislature Monday.

    At division, Nunavut has simply carried over the old NWT Liquor Act. Ng has frequently said that he wants a "made in Nunavut" act governing the sale and distribution of liquor. Last year, he asked then-chair Goo Arlooktoo to conduct a review of the act.

    Arlooktoo and other board members travelled to eight communities to hold public consultations.

    Ng said last week the report contains "a lot of good recommendations."

    Chief among them is a recommendation that the government amend the existing act to give Nunavummiut a mechanism to liberalize access to alcohol in their communities.

    There currently exists, the report says, "a formal method to restrict or prohibit alcohol at the community level."

    The report says implementing this recommendation will give Nunavummiut "a formal method to request ... the minister modify the current distribution for a ... community and make the system less restrictive."

    Ng said he hopes to have legislation before the assembly, "early in the new year, mid-February at the latest."