Iqaluit (July 21/03) - Changes to the liquor act will not open the door to liquor stores in Nunavut, Kelvin Ng, minister responsible for the Liquor Control board said Thursday.

"There is nothing in the legislation specific to (liquor stores)," Ng said.

"In the current act, if people want to have that they have to request to the minister responsible, which is myself, and then we organize a plebiscite for the community to decide whether they accept that or not."

His comments came after incorrect information was printed in News/North July 14 about the impact liquor act changes will have.

The department of finance is not planning to ease liquor laws any time soon, Ng added.

"It's up to the communities to decide themselves what they want in respect of control access, prohibition, restrictions all that stuff that is currently in the act itself."

Ng expects the amendments to pass during the fall session of the legislature.

There are three main issues that Bill 37, the act to amend the liquor act, is meant to address: community empowerment, stiffer penalties for people who sell to minors and bootleg, and the tobacco act.

Under the new act, a community can apply for special prohibition orders through resolution of hamlet council, so the hamlets do not need to go through the minister.

That can be done three times a year for up to 14 days per event.

New penalties deal a swift kick to those bucking the system by serving to minors or bootlegging. The fine for bootlegging will double from $5,000 to $10,000.

And changes to the tobacco act ensure a bar that gets its liquor licence renewed must comply with smoking bans.

The proposed changes don't go far enough, said Elwood Johnston, SAO in Kugaaruk.

"The amount of damage done to families and unborn children, (the legislation) should have been even tougher, he said.

"My personal feeling is bootlegging and serving to minors should have a minimum of 20 years, no parole," he said. "I have seen what bootlegging and alcohol problems have created throughout the North."

"One thing I wanted to do was set up a distribution center in Cambridge Bay where people could go and get a bottle or a dozen beer and that would be it," he said. "Anyone with a court order saying they couldn't drink would loose their card permitting them to buy that."

Johnston says the proposed changes haven't been well advertised, and few people know what they are.

"Here in Kugaaruk I haven't seen an awful lot of it."

As far as a totally new Liquor Act, Ng added, "the next legislature will probably be dealing with that."