The yearly Toonik Tyme Festival in Iqaluit, in the Canadian province of Nunavut is an exciting spring festival which includes dog team races, igloo building contests, and even ice golfing. One of the largest events is the $20,000 bingo game, which attracts people from around the region to the festivities. The city relies on the bingo game to provide funding for the Toonik Tyme Festival.

In the past, the bingo game has always been organized by private organizations, but this year, the city organized it directly, creating a controversy. The city council must approve every bingo license, but there is a real conflict of interests, since the city stands to lose expected revenue if the license isn’t granted. Council members opted to approve the license, stating that the city qualifies as a non-profit organization, and as such, is eligible for a bingo license. Some council members were uncomfortable with the decision, though, feeling that while it was legal to grant the license, there was some cause for concern about the conflict of interests. The council agreed that for future Toonik Tyme festivals, an outside company will operate the bingo event.