Lynn Lau
Northern News Services

Fort McPherson (Nov 05/01) - The chief of the band council has started a debate about the possibility of opening a liquor store in town.

Abe Wilson, chief of the Tetlit Gwich'in Council says a liquor store might help the community regulate distribution more closely and deal with rampant bootlegging.

"It's time for us to realize that we have to try something new," he says. "We just can't leave the situation as it is now. If it doesn't work, we'll scrap it and go back to the way it is today."

During a joint meeting Oct. 29, members of band and hamlet councils discussed the idea.

In the end, a motion was made to seek further information from various government agencies, community members and organizations.

The community had a beer store in the 1970s, and it had a bar that closed in the mid-1990s. Currently, the nearest liquor store is 186

kilometres away in Inuvik. That's where the bootleggers bring in booze from, and they charge a handsome price for their effort.

According to police, bootleggers often get anywhere from $75 to $200 for a 26-ounce bottle of vodka or other spirits. Because they only bring in a few bottles at a time, it's difficult for police to catch them in the act.

"There's definitely people making a living on it," says acting mayor Rebecca Blake. "We're on the highway, so there's no controls on it." She

says on two previous occasions, the community rejected the idea of having a community prohibition or rationing system.

Although she recognizes the problem with bootlegging, she doesn't think a liquor store would help. "It won't find my support," she says. "I don't

think it would be able to be controlled in any way, and I think it may even make things worse. It's a very, very touchy issue."

RCMP Sgt. Kurt Lozinski also doubts that having a liquor store would make much of a dent in the bootlegging. "I'm not a strong believer in it,

however if the community as a whole takes responsibility, then it could work on a rations basis."

In other communities where he's been stationed, like Cape Dorset and Deline, a rationing system was in place, but it didn't affect bootlegging

much, Lozinski says. Lozinski says he was disappointed he wasn't asked to speak at the joint council meeting. "I asked to speak, but they didn't feel a need for me at that time," he says.

At the band office, Chief Wilson stresses that the discussions are just that -- discussions. He says the community will get the final say in whether or not a liquor store should be opened.

In Tuktoyaktuk, a similar debate has been simmering for at least two years. Although a majority of people, in two separate votes, voted to have a liquor store, a petition signed by 186 people stalled the process. After the second vote, the hamlet asked the government to go ahead with the evaluation to see if a liquor store would be feasible. The Liquor Commission in Hay River is expected to make a recommendation shortly.

The Government of the Northwest Territories contracts out the operation of liquor stores, but maintains ownership of the inventory. When a community wants to open a store, it must show that its residents are supportive, and an evaluation is conducted to determine if a store would be profitable.

The final decision rests with Finance Minister Joe Handley.