Inuit boarding home to appeal liquor board decision to grant nearby resto-bar alcohol permit

A Dorval boarding home that provides support for Inuit who come to Montreal says it will appeal a decision by Quebec's liquor board to grant an alcohol permit to a resto-bar just steps away.

The Ullivik boarding home is a place to stay for Inuit who come to Montreal to receive healthcare that is otherwise unavailable in Nunavik.

Located just 600 metres from the boarding house, the proposed Resto Bar Archies is planned to be built in the basement of the Auberge de l'Aroport Dorval.

Maggie Putulik, Ullivik's director, says she is concerned for the safety of her clients, and expressed those concerns to the board, alongside the City of Dorval and Montreal police.

"The arguments presented to the Rgie highlighted the specificity of the culture as well as the complexity of Inuit history justifying special needs," a statement from the centre reads.

The boarding house's statement says that many Inuit who travel south to receive health care are survivors of trauma.

"Many of the colonial policies have led to problems with consumption, sexual abuse and violence," it says.

Addressing complex issues such as these requires that various organizations and government entities, including the board, work together to put in place solutions that support and build on the resilience that characterizes Inuit, the statement says.

Board grants alcohol permit

The board determined that the arguments presented by the city, police and boarding house were insufficient and ruled in favour of issuing the liquor license to Resto Bar Archies.

The boardbarred the owner from conducting publicity on any type of media that is "aimed, directly or indirectly, at Inuit clientele."

Granting the permit "doesn't go against the public interest," the board said, nor does it present a threat to public security or public tranquillity.

The UllivikCentre documents more than a thousand incidents related to intoxication of its clients annually, a statement from the boarding house says.