Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I am here this evening to present Bill 83, Liquor Act.
The bill addresses the recommendations resulting from the review of the Northwest Territories liquor legislation completed by the Department of Finance in 2022. The liquor legislation review resulted in several recommendations. 20 percent of those recommendations were directly related to the Liquor Act, and the remaining 80 percent of recommendations related to the liquor regulations or the operations that support those regulations.
Bill 83 was drafted to directly address the 20 percent of recommendations related to the Liquor Act and to achieve four main objectives:
- Streamline how industry is regulated by introducing a new licensing and compliance approach;
- Ensure safe public access to liquor by allowing different types of retail outlets;
- Enhanced community control, including greater control over the introduction of liquor sales as well as the cessation of liquor sales in a community; and
- Modernize liquor enforcement by updating inspection and investigation powers.
These changes will modernize and streamline the Liquor Act.
This concludes my opening remarks. I am prepared to answer any questions that Members may have.