Jennifer McPhee
Northern News Services

Snowdrift (Nov 11/02) - Lutsel K'e Chief Archie Catholique is moving forward on his promise to stop the flow of alcohol and drugs into his community.

"It's something I dream about," he said. "I'm hoping that some day people will put the bottle and drugs aside and just forget it. And then this place will be a dry community as it should be."

Meanwhile, the band has met with government officials to discuss changing the community's liquor regulations.

Catholique wants to make public intoxication a crime and increase fines for drinking from $500 to $1,000.

The band has already started asking drug dealers and bootleggers to leave the dry community until they change their ways.

And Catholique is determined to find a way to set up an aboriginal security system to allow RCMP officers to search suspected drug dealers and bootleggers at the Lutsel K'e airport.

Right now, he says, the RCMP can't search people coming off the planes.

Bootleggers and dealers take advantage of this, and it's frustrating knowing no one can stop them, he said.

"We're seriously thinking about this. Before, it was just smaller items. Now we're talking about coke, we're talking about crack."

Recently, a reformed drug user walked into the band office and gave Catholique seven names of dealers.

Catholique gave the names to the RCMP who have their own list. The list is quite similar, said Catholique.

"The RCMP are watching them," he said.

Years ago, Catholique had a drinking problem himself. But he stopped, and sought help from a traditional healer, for his children's sake.

"I didn't want to bring them up in a place where a lot of drinking and drugs was happening."

Mark Aitken, director of legislation at the NWT Department of Justice, said the band can make some of the desired changes by altering the community's current regulations.

For example, the band can adjust fines.

Also, the regulation now reads: "no person shall purchase, sell, transport or possess liquor within the prohibited area."

Adding the word "consume" to this list means police could fine or imprison intoxicated people if they can show the alcohol was consumed in Lutsel K'e.

To make theses changes official, the band must first create a petition signed by 20 qualified voters, and seek the approval of Joe Handley, minister of finance.

Then, the band is required to hold a plebiscite in the community.

"There must be 60 per cent approval of the changes," said Aitken.

Banishment, however, is not a punishment set out in the legislation. "I can't really comment on that," he said. "I guess it's a possibility if the individual accepts the punishment to leave."

Cpl. Craig Yorke of the Lutsel K'e RCMP detachment said officers can't search people in the airport without grounds.

"It's hard to search people because of the Charter of Rights, he said.

"We just can't go out and search someone unless we see them committing the act ourselves," he said.