N.W.T. government unveils long-awaited 'alcohol strategy' with long list of action items

Adjusting liquor prices, incentivizing sober recreation and introducing lessons on substance use earlier in school curriculums are just a few of the changes the N.W.T. government has promised under its new alcohol strategy.

Health Minister Julie Green tabled the long-awaited document in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday. 

It proposes myriad measures that communities can use to help reduce alcohol-related harm, a problem that's haunted the territory for years. 

"Alcohol misuse continues to have significant, even devastating effects on individuals, families and communities, resulting in poor health, social problems and economic costs," Green said in her opening statement.

"We know that alcohol impacts N.W.T. residents disproportionately compared to other regions in Canada, and alcohol-related hospitalizations and deaths remain several times higher." 

Talks of an alcohol strategy began after the University of Victoria's Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research gave the N.W.T. a failing grade in 2019 for its efforts to curb alcohol-related harms. 

Territorial staff subsequently spent the next several years reviewing practices in other jurisdictions and gathering input from Indigenous and community governments, service providers, youth and people with lived experience to develop the final product.

'Based on what the community's goals and needs are'

The strategy includes 15 action items that centre on five themes: communications, policy, prevention, public safety and treatment. 

It's accompanied by a work plan that lays out what each territorial department is responsible for, and what their timelines look like.

Bree Denning, a senior adviser on problematic substance use for the health department and former executive director of the Yellowknife Women's Society, led much of the alcohol strategy's development. 

She said while some actions will be implemented unilaterally by the N.W.T., others will be more community-driven, 

"It's an ongoing … collaboration in which we hope to be involved, but not drive and not dictate what happens, because it needs to be based on what the community's goals and needs are," Denning said.

"What we're trying to do is provide a menu of options to choose from and work from there. It's not something that we can lay out a clear map about, because there is so much possible variation in how we approach it. 

"I think it's just a matter of keeping the conversation open and providing support wherever we are welcome to do so."

Among the clear-cut actions are adjusting liquor prices so products with lower-alcohol content are cheaper to purchase, and implementing a minimum price per drink at bars and restaurants. 

The strategy also suggests that allowing communities to open liquor stores could be an effective way to root out bootleggers and ensure localized alternatives to hard liquor, like beer and wine.

More open-ended items include expanding community safety programs, providing educational support to parents, providing more healthy recreation options, and developing more harm reduction services in different regions. 

That could be anything from managed alcohol programs and detox centres to sober housing or peer support groups.

Denning said the strategy ultimately encourages everyone to reflect on their own habits and work together toward a common goal.

"We need to all look at our own consumption levels and see if there's ways that we can be healthier and help those around us to be healthier, rather than just focusing on who we think has an alcohol or substance use disorder," Denning said.

"Really, as a society, we all have a role in supporting each other and reducing alcohol-related harms together.

Next steps

Looking ahead, the N.W.T. government says it intends to have all 15 actions completed within the next five years — though Denning acknowledged the timeline for some items may be harder to pin down than others. 

Likewise, she described funding as "an ongoing conversation," with no concrete dollar figures attached quite yet.

In any case, work is underway to find the funds for more youth-oriented activities this summer.

An evaluation and monitoring plan to track the territory's progress on an annual basis is also under development. Denning said success will be partly measured using metrics like number of injuries, hospitalizations and RCMP calls. 

"It can also just be measured in terms of what [we are] hearing," she continued. "Are people telling us that there are changes? Are they telling us that things are better or worse? 

"So, we're going to be, you know, collecting data, but also just keeping the lines of communication open to learn about what people are seeing… because we also want to know, [if] people are doing more things in their communities that are not involving alcohol."