Fort McPherson (Jan 22/07) - Fort McPherson's residents have voted to restrict alcohol in the hamlet, and enforcement could begin within a few weeks.

Mayor Rebecca Blake said a vote was held Jan. 16, and 282 eligible voters cast ballots.

The votes tallied 185 in favour and 97 against, which is a victory of 65.6 per cent.

"I feel good, this is truly a good day in Fort McPherson," she said.

Blake said more people voted on the plebiscite than in last month's council elections.

In that vote, which was held Dec. 11, about 150 people cast a ballot.

While the new rules do limit alcohol in McPherson, Blake said they aren't very strict.

For example, she said someone could still own two 40-ounce bottles of vodka and one case of beer in a week.

Other combinations, such as two litres of wine and two cases of beer in a week are also acceptable.

"We're meeting people halfway," Blake said, adding that previous referendums on outright prohibition had failed.

Since the law is intended to affect bootleggers, Blake said no vehicle will be allowed to carry more than two persons' weekly allowances at a time.

Thus, for example, four people going to a party could not carry eight bottles of vodka and four cases of beer, despite the fact that each person would fall within the legal limit.

Blake said this would prevent bootleggers from arriving in crowds and circumventing the law.

"We're not here to tell people they can't drink, but I think this will improve things in McPherson," she said.

Once the plebiscite is passed to the NWT legislature for approval, Blake said, it could become law within six weeks.