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National stats for NWT alcohol sales skewed

Yellowknife, NWT – Some residents of the Northwest Territories are upset about a Statistics Canada report indicating alcohol sales in the territory are among the highest per capita in the country.

Statistics Canada says that in fiscal 2013, NWT residents spent on average $955 on alcohol.

The national average was about $734.

However, the NWT number does not take into account that booze generally costs substantially more here than it does in much of the rest of Canada.

StatsCan agrees the numbers could be misleading.

StatsCan’s Bruce Orak in Ottawa heads up the alcohol data program.

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He says we actually drink less beer for example than the average Canadian.

“In terms of litres by volume, just to give you some context, at the Canada level per capita for beer is 78 while the Northwest Territories come in at a lower rate of 69.4”

At least one caller to our newsroom says a taxpayer funded agency like StatsCan needs to be more careful before painting such an incomplete picture.

The price and the social problems it causes remain major issues in the NWT.

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