Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 27/00) - Convenience stores in the city underwent a Health Canada pop-quiz last week and passed with flying colours.

The city-wide enforcement initiative, to crack down on retailers selling tobacco products to underage buyers, happened Oct. 16 to 18.

Of the 19 compliance checks conducted only one store sold cigarettes to an undercover 15-year-old test shopper. It received a warning letter.

"When you are talking about retailers furnishing tobacco products to kids, the NWT is very good," said tobacco enforcement officer Peter Thirnbeck.

"I'll be back, you can count on that, but I'm very pleased with the way things went this week."

Thirnbeck travelled from Health Canada's Edmonton office for an enforcement check in June. At that time 18 retailers were checked and six sold tobacco products to children and received warnings.

This time those retailers complied with the federal Tobacco Act pumping up a 67 per cent compliance rate to 95 per cent.

Thirnbeck said if the compliance rate is over 90 per cent, that is high enough to stop kids from starting to smoke.

"I think it's good," said manager of Winks Gasland Ed Zaragoza.

Winks was one of the retailers that got a warning in June.

"We judged by looking at the person but kids nowadays look much older and people who are 25 still look young and get angry if you ask for identification, especially if they forgot it at home."

Zaragoza said although he never sold cigarettes to anyone underage intentionally, now he asks for identification from everyone.

The enforcement initiative was undertaken by Health Canada, the RCMP and the GNWT, the licensing body for tobacco retailers.

Health Canada will be back to monitor tobacco sales in Yellowknife and other locations in the NWT in the future.

If caught not abiding to the law a maximum fine of $50,000 could be given as well as charges laid.