We can buy beer!

We can buy beer!  And wine!!  Wahoo!!

Like many economically depressed areas, a portion of the population of Iqaluit struggles with addiction and mental health issues.  In an attempt to curb alcoholism, the government made Iqaluit a partly-regulated city 40 years ago.  Its not "dry" like some other northern communities, instead it is more like "damp".  You can buy wine and beer to drink at restaurants, even hard liquor like vodka and rum (must be consumed on-site, not taken home with you).  You are even allowed to bring it up with you on a plane, so long as its no more than 12 bottles (and if it is you just need to obtain an import permit).  You can purchase alcohol to be delivered to you via Air Cargo, again with an import permit.

What you could NOT do, until last week, was walk down to the local store and purchase alcohol to just take home and drink. Its a bummer if you are having friends in for an evening and would just like to have a drink, or if you want to cook with wine or sherry.

Authors note:  I am using the photos from the CBC article linked to below.  Their pictures are better than anything I could take, and I don't think I'd be allowed to take photos from inside the store anyway.

Yes, the store is open.  The siding is on the next sealift.  

Read all about the opening of the new beer and wine store here.

The opening of this "liquor store" has caused a mixed reaction here in the city.  Some people feel the government is being irresponsible to allow such easy access to alcohol again without proper supports in place, like mental health and addictions counselling. Others feel its about time, since people were bootlegging and using import permits to sell booze to others.

The people who feel its irresponsible have a point.  This city has had such a huge problem in the past that it is difficult to purchase hairspray and yeast (hairspray because the desperate drink it, yeast because it can be used to make "beer"). At local stores mouthwash and hand sanitizer are kept locked up and require an employee with a key.

Proponents of the store claim it may actually help to reduce the amount of bootlegging happening, by providing  lower-alcohol content drinks.  The CBC article above quotes Dan Carlson, the assistant deputy minister of finance: "If someone's choosing to bootleg in a serious way, we don't think its going to be....a merlot or a pino grigio."

In an attempt to minimize problems, the government has decided that the local store will only sell beer and wine.  To purchase, you first need to register.  The store maintains a database, and you MUST have your ID with you to purchase alcohol (in fact, it must be the exact ID they have on file for you).  Even then, you are limited to 2 bottles of wine and 12 cans of beer every day (bottles are harder to come by, glass is much heavier so more expensive to ship via freight). So, you could technically buy 2 bottles of wine and a dozen beer every day if you wanted to.  Today I purchased 2 bottles of wine and 6 cans of beer.  The employee made it a point of telling me that if I wanted, I could go back to the store later that same day to purchase 6 additional beer.

Check out the booze lists while you are waiting in line.

It has to be the oddest liquor store I ever been in.  This isn't like adding a few bottles of beer to a local supermarket aisle or convenience store.  This store feels more like you are going to the bank.  You line up in a twisty line, while staff circulate and take your ID from you.  They enter your info. into a hand-held device confirming that you are indeed registered to purchase alcohol.  While they do this, you get to peruse the TV screen menu of what beer and wine is available for purchase. You finally approach one of 3 "tellers" who take your ID again and immediately enter your information into the system.  You pay for your drinks, then your order is sent to a screen in the warehouse.  Warehouse employees put your drinks into a bin that then rolls behind the teller, who gives it to you over the counter.  You then exit through the special "exit" door.  Security seems impressive, unless you consider the huge black dog who was wandering into and out of the store all afternoon, looking for attention from customers (this is, after all, Iqaluit).

My new cute little wine bag. Designed to hold exactly
 2 wine bottles, with a little divider between the bottles
to keep them from clanging together. Sweet!

Party time tonight!

I went to the new beer/wine store the first day it opened.  I only knew about it because I had gone to apply for an import permit (planning to have some wine sent up via air cargo) and the person working there told me about the opening date.  A few days later I thought I would stop by and pick up another bottle of white wine (I only had red).  The lineup looked like this:

This photo is from CBC--the line outside the store made the news!

Needless to say I turned the car around and drove away. Since then some local "entrepreneurs" have decided to capitalize on the long lines for beer and wine.  They have brought out a table with snacks and drinks to sell to people while they wait.  Others offer their services to hold your place in line for $10. This pilot project is expected to last 3 years, and the local paper has announced that there has been no increase in "alcohol-related crime" since the store opened a week ago.  So, I suppose that's good news........

For those of you wondering what was in the box that was ravaged by ravens (see previous post), it contained toys.  One toy was a remote-control car.  Meant to be a Christmas gift, the packaging had been destroyed in several places.  Not a big deal.  If the box had contained clothing or something fragile it could have been much worse.

Desert racer. Bitten.

 Up next: Did I survive mass registration? What the heck IS mass registration, and is it worth posting about?  Check back to find out!