Empty chairs at public liquor forum
Kirsten Murphy
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Feb 09/01) - If Yellowknife residents feel strongly about how liquor should be sold in the city, they're keeping their opinions quiet.
Eight of the 84 folding chairs set up at the first -- and perhaps only -- forum seeking public input on the future of liquor sales were occupied at a Wednesday night meeting. Subtract members of the media, the Liquor Commissioner and the two people holding the existing city's retail liquor licence and a mere three people attended the meeting.
Brian Yeo, a private consultant hired by the Liquor Commission to seek the public input, said the sparse turnout was more surprising than disappointing.
"I wouldn't want to speculate why so few people attended," he said after answering a mere four questions from the half dozen audience members.
"I've heard of a lot of interest and I've had people stop me on the street."
The meeting was advertised in newspapers and on the radio.
Currently all retail outlets in the NWT are operated by private contractors on behalf of the GNWT. The review was called because the current liquor store agreement in Yellowknife expires on Aug. 31,
Yeo said people phoning and faxing him since January have expressed concerns. Some business owners are worried about the negative effects new liquor outlets, including Sunday sales and beer-wine stores, might create. Other callers have told Yeo they definitely want in on the business. One caller suggested the sale of cigarettes in liquor stores. Another caller specified Frame Lake South as the ideal location for a second retail outlet.
Albert Eggenberger holds the present liquor store contract. He and his son Edward attended the meeting.
"I'm interested to see what the plans are. One or two or three more stores," the senior Eggenberger said after the meeting.
Yeo's study is a combination of surveys, public discussions and comparing Yellowknife liquor sales to similar sales in Alberta.
A representative from a recently formed collective of bar and hotel managers sat at the back of the room.
He declined to give his name but, like one other attendees, said far more people are interested in changes to liquor sales than were there. One theory floating around was that people planning on bidding on the contract presently held by the Eggengbergers are keeping a low profile. Yeo said 7,000 surveys like the ones at the meeting will be mailed to households this month. Another public meeting, hopefully one better attended, has not been ruled out. Surveys should be mailed back to Yeo in the next two weeks, Yeo said. He expects his final recommendations will be filed with the Liquor Commission by Feb. 26.
