No opposition to brewery
Three members of public speak in favour at Nunavut Liquor Licensing Board consultation
Casey Lessard
Northern News Services
Monday, September 14, 2015
IQALUIT
There was no opposition to a proposed Iqaluit-based brewery when the Nunavut Liquor Licensing Board held a mandatory public consultation on the matter Sept. 9. It was a shock for board chairperson David Wilman.
Nunavut Brewing Company representative Sheldon Nimchuk speaks with media after a Nunavut Liquor Licensing Board public consultation Sept. 9. Photos of the proceedings were forbidden. - Casey Lessard/NNSL photo |
"This is the easiest public hearing I've ever had to be involved in and there've been quite a good number of them," Wilman said after only three members of the public stood up to speak on the matter, all in support. "So no one else wishes to say anything?"
Nunavut Brewing Company earned board approval the day following the meeting thanks to a slam-dunk effort by a well-prepared group of five Iqaluit investors, which pitched the idea to city council June 23.
"We are convinced that if we do our job in offering a unique and quality craft beer that the consumers in the community and territory may enjoy the product and choose it over imports from national brands," said company representative Sheldon Nimchuk.
Of the three members of the public speaking in support were city councillor Terry Dobbin, who started the petition calling for a plebiscite on opening a beer-and-wine store in Iqaluit; Stephen Leyden, who runs the Craft Beer Iqaluit Facebook page; and Father Daniel Perrault of Iqaluit's Catholic parish.
Clergy supports the idea
Yes, even the clergy supports the idea.
"We know Jesus of Nazareth made wine," Perrault told the board. "I do not think this will affect the tendency to alcohol abuse because this type of beer is more likely to be enjoyed than being drunk in large quantities. I want to encourage the creation of local enterprises that want to create local products. A craft beer made in Nunavut can create jobs and create a pride of the people of Nunavut with the sale of a delicious product that comes from us."
The majority of the product would come from Nunavut if approvals are granted.
Nimchuk said the company is hoping to use fresh water from the Sylvia Grinnell River, which is normally allowed in the volume the company is seeking to use.
"Even in our wildest dreams, we are well below what that limit would be," he said. "From a marketing perspective, we would very much like to be able to utilize the Sylvia Grinnell water. We would do that with our own water truck within the approvals we receive, stored in tanks and then utilized into our brewing process."
Dobbin reiterated the support he showed at city council.
"Southern imports create no local employment, and the Nunavut Brewing Company is prepared to do that," Dobbin said.
Nimchuk said the brewery could have six full-time and three or four part-time employees within the first few years.
The company has committed to supporting local charities, and Wilman told the company that encouraging responsible drinking is a major initiative of all licensing boards across the country.
Wilman confirmed that the company was requesting approval only for producing a beer sold at bars and restaurants from kegs, and that if it wanted to sell bottles or cans, it would have to return to get the board's blessing.
Avid home-brewer Leyden said he was eager for the company to get approval because Nunavut's craft beer lovers are being unfairly limited.
"Craft brewing has exploded. There are a lot of styles of beers that Iqaluitmiut are being denied just because of the way our beer comes here," he said. "The beer you get here is six to seven months old. A lager, a pilsner, there are so many styles of beer that will not last that length of time, so you're drinking skunky, non-fresh products."
Permission to produce
With the board's approval, Nunavut Brewing now has permission to manufacture beer for sale to licensed establishments, to Nunavut consumers through the Nunavut Liquor Commission, and to anyone outside of Nunavut. The company would not have permission to sell to consumers directly from the brewery premises.
