A Yellowknife MLA worries updates to the NWT’s Liquor Act do not go far enough to address bootlegging and impaired driving in the territory.
The NWT government passed a new Liquor Act in 2023, replacing the previous 2007 legislation. It is now considering regulations to bring the updated act into force.
In the Legislative Assembly on Monday, Great Slave MLA Kate Reid said she was “pleased to see some proposed changes around special events” as some residents and organizations have faced regulatory hurdles when trying to hold licensed events and fundraisers.
Reid said she was concerned, however, that the updated act and proposed new regulations do not set limits on the amount of alcohol a person can purchase, as recommended by NWT RCMP.
She said allowing people to buy large volumes of alcohol at one time or through repeated purchases could contribute to bootlegging.
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While the territory considered feedback on restricting those kinds of purchase – known as point-of-sale limits – when it was updating the act, finance minister Caroline Wawzonek said limiting how much alcohol an individual can buy at one time may not reduce how much alcohol a bootlegger can ultimately acquire.
“We certainly saw that during Covid, when there were restrictions at point-of-sale,” she said.
“That gave us an opportunity to actually observe that it did not bring down the amount of bootlegging or the amount of alcohol that was being consumed in the territory.”
Warrant changes
Reid raised further concerns with a section of the current Liquor Act that prohibits police from entering a home without the consent of the occupant or a warrant.
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She said RCMP have complained that this section compromises investigative integrity, “alerts suspects to enforcement activity and undermines the effectiveness of otherwise lawful investigations.”
Reid pointed out that between July 1, 2023 and 2025, there were no convictions related to bootlegging in the territory “despite bootlegging consistently being identified as a primary concern by communities throughout the NWT.”
Wawzonek said that issue has been “shifted” in the new act.
While the updated act continues to prohibit police from searching a home without a warrant or the occupant’s consent, it includes a new provision allowing judges to issue warrants without notifying the other party if there are reasonable grounds to believe an offence under the Liquor Act has been committed.
Finally, Reid questioned why a roadside prohibition program is not being considered in the NWT alongside criminal investigations into impaired driving.
She pointed out the territory experiences high rates of impaired driving and said other jurisdictions in Canada have administrative driving prohibitions that provide immediate public safety measures, such as vehicle impoundment, driver’s licence suspensions and financial penalties.
Wawzonek said those prohibitions are in place in the territory to “some degree” and further prohibitions would require amending the Motor Vehicles Act.
She committed to examining whether the GNWT has been monitoring use of existing measures and whether legislative amendments are being considered.
