Christine Grimard
Northern News Services
Wednesday, April 11, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - The signs are up, and Yellowknife's first drug-free zone is now official.

The city worked with the RCMP, school boards, and other community groups to launch Yellowknife's first drug free zone, an area marked off to warn drug dealers to stay away.

The drug-free zone is more than just a game of semantics, said RCMP Insp. Roch Fortin, last Wednesday.

"It's more than a sign, it's a community getting together," said Fortin.

"We're starting with a small step, but we're going to make it grow from there."

Although illicit drugs like marijuana and cocaine are illegal everywhere, the drug-free zone will allow police to lay stiffer charges against anyone caught dealing drugs within its boundaries. The idea for a drug-free zone was first presented before city council at a Priorities, Policies and Budget Committee meeting last July.

Since then, the city has been working with both school boards and the RCMP to establish the zone.

The project is a first in Yellowknife. Fortin hinted drug-free zones could be set up throughout the city, such as in the downtown core.