Kent Driscoll
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Sep 19/05) - Last call came early at Iqaluit bars on September 7.

With a full hotel and many visitors from the Nunavut Arts Festival crowding the Storehouse, the bar was forced to stop serving alcohol at 11 p.m.

"It is one of our busiest nights. It's not our fault that their inventory isn't in order. What a way to do business," said Sylvia Tuckwood, the general manager of the Frobisher Inn, the home of the Storehouse lounge.

The Storehouse wasn't alone. The Kamatiq restaurant reported not receiving its order.

"We didn't get our order on time and it hurts our business," said Louis Decouto, manager of the Kamatiq.

The Elks aren't open on Wednesday, so the non-delivery didn't hurt them directly, but the president of the lodge, Sheldon Nimchuk, is upset enough that he is taking the issue to Iqaluit Chamber of Commerce, a move that Tuckwood supports.

"The hospitality industry is dependent on this sort of thing. The employees are the ones that are hurt the most, they lose their wages," said Nimchuk.

"In my mind it shouldn't happen. We would support the chamber trying to persuade the government that hospitality is important."

The Royal Canadian Legion declined an opportunity to comment.

The director of Liquor for Nunavut, however, put the blame on the bars.

"What do they expect?" asked Patrick Galbraith. "The Storehouse ordered on Tuesday, Sept. 6, and we received the fax at 4:57 p.m. They picked up their order on Sept. 8."

Same-day ordering has never been a problem before, according to Tuckwood, who has been at the Frobisher for five years.

"We used to send our order in after 5 p.m. or as late as midnight (on Tuesday). We've always put in our order on Tuesday and received it on Wednesday," said Tuckwood.

There is no firm policy on ordering, according to Galbraith.

"We expect a reasonable time. We can't guarantee delivery and there isn't a policy written that says 24 hours," said Galbraith.

"I haven't heard a complaint from a business, so as far as I'm concerned, it isn't a problem."

When asked if he would consider putting in a 24-hour turnaround on commercial orders, Galbraith said, "I would not like to place a guarantee. We might not be able to do it."

The Navigator Lounge was one of the few places you could get a brew in Iqaluit that Wednesday. They order well in advance.

"We usually put our order on Sunday and get it on Tuesday morning, We never have any problems and they are always willing to answer our questions," said Diane Webb, the general manager of the Navigator Inn.