Yellowknife — March 29, 2023
Today Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek introduced a bill to modernize the Northwest Territories (NWT) Liquor Act.
The proposed Bill will streamline how the industry is regulated, ensure safe public access to liquor, enhance community control over liquor, and modernize liquor enforcement.
The current Liquor Act is nearly fifteen years old and is out of sync with changes that have occurred in technology, best practices and public expectations. To address this, the Department of Finance conducted the two-year Liquor Legislation Review which included a jurisdiction scan, literature review and public engagement. The Liquor Legislation Review made 66 recommendations to modernize the legislation and the policies that support it.
The next steps in the legislative process include Second Reading, Committee stage (including public hearings), Committee of the Whole review, Third Reading, and Assent and Proclamation.
Quote(s)
“The GNWT is committed to ensuring the safe and responsible regulation of liquor in the Northwest Territories. This Bill best considers the feedback from engagement participants, best practices from other jurisdictions and literature and addresses both public safety and business interests.”
- Caroline Wawzonek, Minister of Finance
Quick facts
- In September 2022, the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) released a report providing recommendations to improve NWT liquor legislation.
- The Bill introduced today is based on the recommendations report
Related links
- Plain language summary of Bill 83
- What We Heard Report
- The Legislative Process of the 19th Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories
For media requests, please contact:
Todd Sasaki
Manager, Public Affairs and Communications
Department of Finance
Government of the Northwest Territories