NUNAVUT - The first meeting of the minister's task force to review the Liquor Act could not have come at a better time, as figures from Statistics Canada reveal the territory has the second highest rate of legal sales of alcoholic beverages per capita in Canada.

A Statistics Canada survey shows Nunavut had the second-highest increase in per capita liquor sales in Canada last year. Those statistics do not take into account alcohol brought in from the south purchased with permits or bootlegged bottles, such as those seen here at a RCMP press conference in March. - Emily Ridlington/NNSL photo

Statistics Canada released figures on April 20 showing $5.4 million in alcohol sales for the year ending March 31. This includes wine, beer and spirits. It is a 5.8 per cent increase in sales compared to the numbers for 2008. Nunavut posted the second highest increase in sales of alcoholic beverages after Saskatchewan.

The 10 panel members who form the task force were appointed by Finance Minister Keith Peterson at the end of March. The group met for the first time in Iqaluit on April 21-22.

"The main goal is to review the act which includes community consultations, work towards making recommendations towards changes or deletions or additions to the act," said Donna Adams, the chair of the task force. She is president of the Nunavut Qulliit Status of Women Council and a resident of Rankin Inlet.

The task force has been designed so individuals and organizations can provide the government with feedback on the Nunavut Liquor Act and the issue of alcohol in the territory's communities. Representatives on the task force come from all across the territory and represent various organizations.

Adams said during the first meeting the plans for the upcoming year and a half were discussed and how the group is going to tackle the challenges they face.

Adams said she and fellow members of the task force know they have a lot of work ahead of them. She identifies one of the biggest challenges as being raising awareness and education.

"We want to help those who won't really speak out for themselves," she said.

During the next 12 to 18 months, the task force is looking to visit all 25 communities. Peterson said while it will be a challenge it is important to also look at other jurisdictions such as Greenland, NWT, Yukon and Alaska to see how they have dealt with regulating alcohol.

The Liquor Act was last amended in 2006.

Peterson said he was not overly surprised by the Statistics Canada report.

"The consumption of alcohol is quite high in Nunavut, it is no secret," he said.

The figures from Statistics Canada do not include the amount of money spent on alcohol bought from southern stores, mostly in Quebec, using government-issued permits.

Statistics Canada's Jo-Ann MacMillan said Nunavut is an interesting case as all the numbers they receive are from the territory's Liquor Commission.

It is not known if Quebec has kept records for the amount of money spent on permit alcohol orders from Nunavut.

"We are concerned about double counting and haven't quite worked out what we are going to do with this," said MacMillan.

The issue was brought to her attention late the week of April 19. She said the missing numbers probably would not skew the results in Quebec but would greatly change the per capita data for Nunavut. If the numbers can be obtained, MacMillan said the data will be adjusted accordingly.

Peterson said if these figures weren't taken into account in the report, then the numbers are grossly understated.

Also contributing to the understatement is the amount of bootlegging in the territory. At a press conference in March, RCMP told reporters that since January alone they have seized over $400,000 in drugs, alcohol and cash.

Peterson suggested at that time that increasing fines for those who are involved in bootlegging and seizing profits of crime might be an option.

"If someone owns a $400,000 to $500,000 house and has no visible means of support and they've got trucks or snowmobiles, those are things we can look at," said Peterson on March 24.

Peterson said he knows there are individuals in the territory who are profiting from the illegal sale of alcohol. Legislation allowing the government to seize assets and proceeds of crime exists in British Columbia and Ontario. The Yukon tabled a similar bill in late March.

If such legislation were enacted, Peterson said it would send a strong message to those who engage in illegal activities and organized crime in the territory.

Community members who see firsthand the social implications of alcohol abuse say something needs to be done. For the last 14 years, Simeon Mikkungwak has worked as a community mental health consultant in addictions in Baker Lake. From his experience counselling, he said he has seen people who are overly intoxicated become involved in spousal assault, sexual assault, drinking and driving, child neglect and distancing themselves from other family members.

He emphasized not all people are prone to do these things and individuals can be aware of how to drink responsibly.

"In the years that I've worked, in my opinion the social implications of alcohol use seems to be increasing. As time evolves, alcohol is more readily available," said Mikkungwak.

He said he thinks one reason this could be happening is because there are more options for Nunavummiut to order alcohol.

The territory does not have an in-patient treatment program for addictions and those who chose that method of treatment must go to southern cities. He said he would like to see inpatient treatment programs within the territory.

"We need to work together to create programs more suitable to our needs, that are more structured to our cultural settings and reflective of what we have to deal with and face up here," Mikkungwak said.