Former liquor store operator in Fort Smith, N.W.T., says she had just days to clear out after losing contract

Nikita Paziuk says that when she lost the contract to run the liquor store in Fort Smith, N.W.T., the territory kept her in the dark about it until late last month — days before the new operators were set to take over.

She says that left her scrambling to clean out the store, manage staff, and sort through legal and logistical issues with almost no time to prepare.

"I had literally a week to clean out the store before the new operators came in," she said.

"They [the territorial government] knew, but they didn't give me any warning."

Paziuk ran the liquor store for 20 years. She said she had successfully renewed her operations contract with the territory multiple times since purchasing the business and building.

Over those years, Paziuk held a single contract with the territorial government covering the liquor store operations and the lease. She ran the store and owned the building it operated out of.

She says this year the government split the contract into two — one for the operations, and one for the lease. And while Paziuk still owns the building and was awarded the lease, the operations contract was awarded to someone else.

She was disappointed to lose the contract, but says she's most upset about how it's been handled.  

"It's not even about being fair," she said. "It's just that we're people, and this is the community that I live in, and all of a sudden, you're like, 'OK, you're gone. Your livelihood is gone.'"

Paziuk says her contract was up at the end of last November. She says she repeatedly contacted officials in the months before to ask about the request for proposals (RFP) but heard nothing back. Then on Nov. 2, the territory issued the RFP for operating the liquor store and it was due less than two weeks later, on Nov. 13.

She says that in the past, she'd have at least nine months to prepare a bid, giving her plenty of time to work with lawyers and finalize the details.

The government then offered to extend her existing operations contract to March 31, but she still had to bid on the RFP within those two weeks in November.

"I said, 'this is ridiculous. How am I meant to get it done?'" Paziuk recalled. 

Paziuk is also upset because she was awarded the lease contract on March 5 and yet didn't hear about the operations contract until weeks later. She said government officials wouldn't return her calls. When they finally did, she says she was told they hadn't even been allowed to speak with her.

The result, she says, was a chaotic exit from a business she'd built over two decades. She had to sell off equipment at a loss, stop orders, and answer to frustrated customers, all without guidance.

"The community got angry at me, because they're like, 'How come there's no beer here?'" she said. "Sorry, I had no communication."

Paziuk said she raised her concerns with the liquor commissioner, and that they told her the situation was "a learning curve."

CBC News contacted the liquor commission for an interview. A spokesperson for the department of finance sent a brief statement instead.

"A standard competitive and public procurement process was followed for both the contract to operate the Fort Smith Liquor Store and the Fort Smith Liquor Store building lease," the statement reads. 

Paziuk feels that the territorial government doesn't appreciate what it's like doing business in relatively small places like Fort Smith.

"There needs to be more community awareness of what's going on in the smaller communities, and try to keep them together rather than tear them apart — because that's what it feels like," she said.

The transition was a hard one for Paziuk, but she says in the end she managed it thanks to her staff.

"My staff were amazing. They showed up and helped me pull it together," she said.

The new operators took over the store on April 1.

"I feel like I've been a very socially responsible operator," Paziuk said. "And I hope it goes forward successfully from here, for the community."