Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we know that earlier in September, the Minister of Finance made a commitment that he would be instructing his officials to undertake a review of the liquor regulations to make them more transparent and more relevant. This is good news; we have a huge, growing tourism-based economy that – you know, I think it is time to do this. My question to the Minister is: can the Minister provide this Assembly with an update on what he intends to do with this review? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have asked the official of the department to review the existing board processes and policies of the NWT Liquor Act regulations. In addition, the department will be reaching out to stakeholders as to how to modernize the board enforcement and decision-making processes to ensure they are transparent and fair. We plan on having the work completed for review by the next fiscal year. We do, however, plan on implementing the changes that we can make in the interim. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you to the Minister for the update. Mr. Speaker, I have said before that reviewing policy and changing it is a good, productive step, but often policy and regs are only as good as those who adMinister them. I wonder, can the Minister let us know what he actually hopes to accomplish with this review?
Mr. Speaker, the plan is that the review should somewhat modernize the sale and licensing of alcohol in the NWT and provide the NWT Liquor Licensing Board with the necessary tools to do their jobs in a fair and transparent manner, as well as addressing concerns raised by licensees.
That also is good news. I am happy to hear that from the Minister, and providing good tools will be welcomed. I would like to get down to something a little bit more specific, Mr. Speaker. As the Minister is aware, my constituency is home of the NWT Brewing Company. It is the only liquor manufacturer in the NWT, and they have frankly been denied the ability to deliver their product directly to licensees. This decision has made the cost of the NWT Brewing Company’s product economically unviable for local bars and restaurants to access. Can the Minister tell me what he is doing to address this issue?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we thought that the existing liquor regulations had enough leeway to allow for the sale of beer by the NWT Brewing Company directly to licensees. The board, as an independent quasi-judicial body, did not agree with that interpretation of the regulations and would not allow direct sales. To be fair, Mr. Speaker, the board can only make decisions using the existing legislation and regulations. If they are out of date and no longer relevant, it falls on us to change them. I have directed the department to draft regulations that allow for the sale of NWT Brewing products directly to licensees, without having to go through NWT liquor warehouses and paying the handling fees.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and cheers to that. This is great news, Mr. Speaker, and will be well-appreciated by many – by all, in fact. Certainly, I might find myself at the brew pub later today celebrating. Just to that, as well, if I can just get additional clarification: can the Minister inform this House when the Brewing Company can expect these regulations to be in place so that they can sell their products directly to licensees? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I expect the regulation will be in place by the end of October, and the NWT Brewing Company will be able to begin deliveries if I am in a position to sign the regulation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Laughter
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
