On one of the busiest days of the years for liquor sales in the NWT, stores in the territory are being forced to only accept cash.
Peter Mahar, the director of liquor operations with the NWT liquor and cannabis commission, said the issues with the store's point of sale system is being caused by issues with the Government of the NWT's (GNWT) network as a whole.
"There is an issue with the government internet system," said Mahar. "It's affecting the cash and debit machines because they run on the internet. It's an issue that the Technology Service Center is working on but it's a network issue, nothing to do with the stores themselves. . . Right now all they can do is accept cash and they've got signs up saying that."
Ed Eggenberger, the owner of the two liquor stores in Yellowknife, told Yellowknifer earlier this year that Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are two of the busiest days of the year. The store is open until 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve and then closed for Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
The Department of Public Works and Services manages the GNWT's Technology Service Center. They could not be reached for comment as of press time.