Northern Territories Alcohol Labels Study

rdf:langString Northern Territories Alcohol Labels Study

rdf:langString vlist

rdf:langString right

rdf:langString Tim Stockwell, a lead researcher on the study

rdf:langString People named in the access-to-information documents *Association of Canadian Distillers *Canadian Vintners Association *Beer Canada *CJ Hélie, later President of Beer Canada *Rowland Dunning, once Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Liquor Jurisdictions *Yukon Liquor Corporation **John Steicker, Minister Responsible **Matt King, President **Patch Groenewegen, Manager of Social Responsibility, Policy and Planning

rdf:langString The Northern Territories Alcohol Labels Study was a scientific experiment in Canada on the effects of alcohol warning labels, terminated after lobbying from the alcohol industry, then relaunched with experimental design changes (omitting the "Alcohol can cause cancer" label, and some products) which a lead author said "watered down" the study and diluted its scientific value. The termination received international attention. In November 2017, "Alcohol can cause cancer" warning labels (and two other designs) were added to alcoholic products at a liquor store in Yellowknife, next to existing federally-mandated 1991 warnings (about drinking while pregnant, or driving drunk). The labels were added as part of a study planned to run for eight months. Alcohol industry lobbyists stopped the study after four weeks, with fears they would sue the Yukon government. The , Beer Canada and the alleged that the Yukon government had no legislative authority to add the labels, and would be liable for defamation, defacement, damages (including damage to brands), and packaging trademark and copyright infringement, because the labels had been added without their consent. They also claimed that the labels violated their freedom of expression. Partly because cigarrette-package warning labels had already been ruled legal, these claims are not considered to have merit; the lobbyists could sue, but don't have a sound case. In an interview with the New York Times, the lobby groups denied threatening legal action. John Streicker, the Yukon Minister Responsible for the Yukon Liquor Corporation, stopped the study. He said he did not believe the lobbyist's claims about the medical facts, and believed his chief medical officer of health, that the labels were truthful. He said he stopped the study because he did not wish Yukon to risk a long and expensive lawsuit, and thought leadership should be taken by the federal government after the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, the Yukon Liquor Corporation declined to identify the lobbyists who had contacted them. A access to information request later published e-mails (see ) between lobbyists and the Liquor Corporation.