Liquor board to make decisions transparent

As the NWT Liquor Licensing Board starts to make moves towards more transparency, Yellowknife North MLA Cory Vanthuyne had questions in legislative assembly Tuesday about how far those moves would go.

In an email to the Yellowknifer, liquor board spokesperson Valerie A. Daniels confirmed SA国际影视传媒�The board has recently initiated actions to have all orders, licenses, permits, and reasons for decisions published; this will take some time to implement.SA国际影视传媒�

Written decisions of the board are already available to the public upon request.

The liquor board is an arm's-length government agency that regulates liquor sales and manufacturing in the territory and administers parts of the NWT Liquor Act. The board is currently under review by the Finance Department after receiving criticism over secrecy in the process by which members make decisions.

In the legislative assembly Tuesday, Yellowknife North MLA Cory Vanthuyne said recent decisions by the board hobble local businesses and SA国际影视传媒渨ent against, in my view, what the assembly's mandate and goals are,SA国际影视传媒� to support local tourism, manufacturing, and job creation.

SA国际影视传媒淭he board says that it has an actual policy for not explaining its decisions publicly,SA国际影视传媒� he said, meaning businesses have to retain lawyers in order to engage with the board.

Earlier that day, Vanthuyne denounced the Government of Northwest Territories and the liquor board for placing unnecessary burdens on local microbrewery NWT Brewing Co.

The GNWT taxed NWT brewing at an unreasonably high rate because it feared the up-and-coming company would encroach on the tax revenues of other beers, said Vanthuyne.

The minister of finance has since reduced the tax rate, but the liquor board won't budge on a decision to inhibit private distribution, which ties the company to warehousing and other administrative fees that drive up the cost of NWT brews to approximately $100 more a keg than macro-breweries, according to NWT Brewing Co. co-owner Fletcher Stevens.

SA国际影视传媒淭he Liquor Act offers the board the ability to use discretion in its decisions,SA国际影视传媒� said Vanthuyne. SA国际影视传媒淟egislation and policy are only as good as those who administer it.SA国际影视传媒�

Liquor board decisions can be appealed in the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories. Vanthuyne called it SA国际影视传媒渁 little bit troublingSA国际影视传媒� there is no extra-judicial process by which to contest a liquor-board decision.

The MLA asked if, as part of the government's review of the Liquor Act, it was considering an overhaul of the liquor board.

Finance Minister Robert C. McLeod said the government is SA国际影视传媒渃ontemplating looking at the board itself, the structure of the board,SA国际影视传媒� but the its priority is to give the board SA国际影视传媒渢he proper tools to make decisions and make decisions that are transparent and maybe even published.SA国际影视传媒�

MLAs spar over Aurora College board, review

Yellowknife Centre MLA Julie Green pressed the education minister this week to explain his decision to dismiss the Aurora College's board of governors.

The move, she said, undermines the credibility of the territory's flagship post-secondary institution.

In June, Alfred Moses fired the board and simultaneously appointed a single administrator, Denny Rogers.

In a statement at the time, Moses said the shakeup would ensure SA国际影视传媒渟tability and continuitySA国际影视传媒� as the college heads into a foundational review.

The review was announced in March, shortly after the government proposed cutting the college's social work and education programs as a way to rein in spending. It was originally supposed to wrap up this fall, but during question period Wednesday, Moses said the government SA国际影视传媒渏ust signed the contractSA国际影视传媒� and can't yet commit to an end date.

SA国际影视传媒淭hey said it would be a six-to-eight month process,SA国际影视传媒� said Green in an interview Wednesday. SA国际影视传媒淭hat means that it wouldn't be done until the end of the fiscal year.SA国际影视传媒�

In the House, Green questioned the launch of a review when a comprehensive assessment of the college was completed four years ago (that study has not been made public).

In response, Moses said new labour market information will SA国际影视传媒渉elp guide us and Aurora College into the programs and services that meet the needs and educational needs of NWT residents and Northerners.SA国际影视传媒�

Demand unknown for legal weed

The territorial government doesn't know how high demand for weed will be when it becomes legal next summer.

In the legislative assembly Wednesday, Justice Minister Louis Sebert said he has SA国际影视传媒渘o idea what the demand might be,SA国际影视传媒� but that he has heard SA国际影视传媒渋t may be considerable.SA国际影视传媒�

The government's dearth of information about consumer demand for cannabis concerns Kam Lake MLA Kieron Testart.

SA国际影视传媒淚f anyone should know what the demands are, it should be the person responsible for this project,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淚t is pretty shocking that (the justice minister) has no clue whatsoever.SA国际影视传媒�

Sebert said it is tricky to gauge demand for a product that's still illegal, but went on to provide numbers from Ottawa that show the federal government is doing just that.

He said Ralph Goodale, the federal minister of public safety, told the GNWT last week that the estimated value of the illegal market is between $7 and $9 billion.

Marijuana is on track to become legal in Canada next July. Rules for the substance's use and sale will be decided by individual provinces and territories.

The Ontario government has proposed cannabis be sold by the government through a subsidiary of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (marijuana and alcohol will be sold in separate stores).

New Brunswick has signed deals with two federally-licensed growers to supply cannabis to that province.

Testart said he would like the private sector play a leading role in the NWT marijuana market.

SA国际影视传媒淚t's time for us to assist in the creation of real opportunities surrounding this new cannabis industry, and not just solely capitalize on them as a source of revenue,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

SA国际影视传媒淚t's time to let Northern entrepreneurs take the lead on this file.SA国际影视传媒�