Dez Loreen
Northern News Services

Arctic Red River (Oct 17/05) - The only store in Tsiigehtchic is temporarily closed due to lack of money.

According to a memo sent by Peter Ross, Chief of Tsiigehtchic, the small store is closed right now because of $100,000 in unpaid bills.

The recent closure of the Trapper's store in Tsiigehtchic has left the people without a place to buy basic groceries. - Dez Loreen/NNSL photo

"We want to continue offering this service to the community, but we need to be able to do it so it does not become a financial burden," stated Ross.

The store has been held up financially in the past with loans, but that is no longer an option, said Ross.

"We will put more stringent rules in place for our customer accounts."

For the people of Tsiigehtchic, the closure of Trapper's store isn't the only problem they face.

According to Mavis Clark, once the only store in town closes, the alternatives are far from convenient.

"The closest places for basic groceries are either Inuvik or McPherson," said Clark.

With the rising price of gasoline in the North, driving from Tsiigehtchic to another community is expensive.

"The price of gas here is $1.52 a litre, and that's too much," said Clark.

Ross promised that the store would be open soon.

"We're getting some stock in, and cleaning the place up a bit," said Ross.

"We've also been brainstorming about how to make it a more efficient business."

Clark is anxiously waiting for the store's re-opening.

"It's ridiculous. Hopefully this will be cleared up soon."