Inuvik (Mar 19/04) - In what the Liquor Licensing Board believes is its most severe sentence to date, an Inuvik bar was handed a three-month suspension of its liquor licence to take effect March 26.

"This is serious," said board chair John Simpson. "Frosty's conduct is unacceptable; they are getting close to losing their license."

The sentence is much harsher than even the government lawyer requested. Legal counsel for the GNWT had asked for a three-week closure and a fine.

"I'm devastated," said Frosty's Arctic Pub manager Anna Mae Fairley. "It's unfair and unjust and I'm wondering why the other bar wasn't charged as well."

Fairley was referring to the Mad Trapper, where one of the individuals involved in the incident had been drinking prior to being in Frosty's. That person had also been drinking at home. This was documented in the statement of fact presented to the board.

On top of the $300,000 in gross revenue Frosty's owner Andre Ouelette says he stands to lose, the 10 servers who work at the pub find themselves temporarily out of work.

Ouelette declined to comment further on the matter.

Frosty's server Rita Kovacs was more vocal after hearing about the decision.

"I guess I'm going to be an unemployed mother on social assistance," she said.

At Tuesday's hearing, Frosty's pleaded guilty to violating two counts of the NWT Liquor Act. One count was for allowing an intoxicated person on its premises and the second for selling liquor to an intoxicated person.

This was the bar's fifth violation in two years.

The two counts derived from a March 13, 2003, incident that began when one man punched Reggie Itsi in the face following a disagreement.

Entered into the hearing as a statement of fact was the bartender's decision to eject Itsi and Jonathan Andre from the premises, while keeping two others involved in the altercation inside the bar to avoid the fight from spilling into the parking lot.

When the two other men left the bar, they were attacked by Itsi and Andre.

One man suffered a stab wound and the other was cut on the head.

Andre and Itsi were later charged with assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon following the incident.

Itsi was found guilty earlier this month for assault with a weapon and sentenced to three years in prison.

In December 2003, Andre pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm and was sentenced to seven months in custody in addition to eight months of remand time he served prior to the trial.

Though Frosty's was not charged immediately for violating the Liquor Act, a joint investigation between RCMP and a liquor inspector, sent from Hay River to look into the matter, brought about the charges.