Yellowknife (Apr 09/03) - Crack cocaine use is rampant in Yellowknife, according to Gold Range Hotel owner and manager Richard Yurkiw.

"It's everywhere," said Yurkiw. "It's getting really bad."

In the last six to eight months, he's seen more and more crack cocaine in Yellowknife. He notices people acting strangely in the Range, wandering through the bar, scurrying through exits. "They're doing something," he said. "They go out to get their stash after they've made their deal. This is a common thing. I'm not going to tolerate it much longer."

Yurkiw said he's never seen drug problems like this in Yellowknife. "It would blow your mind," he said.

The drug scene isn't limited to one bar, he said, or to just bars for that matter.

"I see (dealers) on the streets selling it," he said. "The reports I'm getting through the grapevine is they are hooking kids. It's terrible, just disgusting."

Yurkiw made his concerns known to RCMP at a recent meeting held to discuss alcohol and addictions problems in Yellowknife. As a result, several bar owners and the RCMP's drug section will meet in mid-May to talk specifically about drugs.

"I hope we can get together and work on it," said Yurkiw. "I can't control the booze - and the drugs. They've got to control the drugs. That's their expertise."

He added: "I'm not saying alcohol isn't a problem. I'm saying drugs are a bigger problem. It's just nuts here."

Over at the Raven, owner Jim Sturge said drugs are not a problem in his bar. The staff monitor the bathrooms closely, added employee Jacquie Fontana, and have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to drugs.

"If I see more than two feet in one stall, I know something's going on," said Fontana. "If we catch them, they get kicked out."

But according to RCMP Const. Dino Norris, some bar owners in Yellowknife are starting to find drug paraphernalia in bathrooms -- cans cut in half for smoking crack cocaine.

"They are really concerned about it, which is good to see."

Norris said having the bar owners on board to work on drug issues is a good step.

"If we can deal with it now, we can prevent it from becoming a much larger problem."

Yurkiw is more blunt. "If we don't co-operate, we're screwed. It's going to get progressively worse."