Andrew Raven
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 06/03) - In an effort to rebel against a system that assigns numbers to just about everything, hundreds of Yellowknifers have found a small bit of solace in personalized licence plates.

You see them everywhere, from beat up Honda Civics to brand new Dodge Durangos. They range from the easily understandable (IAMCDN) to the nearly impossible to decipher (CZ3DOM, which stands for seize freedom).

"It's a way for people to personalize their vehicle," said Mike Conway, manager of the NWT Drivers and Vehicle Licensing Board and owner of licence plate that reads NO1UNO (no one you know).

Conway says most people keep their personalized plate relatively simple.

"Our most popular request is for the name of the car and the year it was made, like 71 VET," he said.

A personalized licence plate will set you back $150, plus GST and, naturally, a service fee.

But for many, the sliver on individuality it provides is well worth the cost.

"I think it's just a way of being unique," said Steve Murphy, whose plate reads IAMCDN.

"People like to have a say in what goes on, and (one of the few places) they can is on their licence plate."

But there are limits to what you can put on a licence plate. The GNWT won't allow anything that's drug-related, sexually suggestive (fishermen will need special permission for BIGONE), religious, political or profane.

If licence bureau employees have any doubt about what's acceptable and what isn't, they can refer an official handbook that outlines the taboo phrases.

Ultimately, the last word on a personalized plate rests with the registrar, but Conway says it's uncommon for people to have their submissions rejected.

"In the South, I know sometimes (licensing bureaus) get problematic requests," said Conway.

"But that doesn't seem to happen here.

"Most people have pride in their cars and they don't want anything offensive on them."

Sometimes, licence bureau employees have to act like junior detectives in order to figure out what a plate means.

"There are some requests that aren't easily understandable at first," said Conway.

"They can take some work to decipher."

In a society that organizes itself by assigning number after number to its members, it's no wonder personalized licence plates are so popular.

Conway estimates that there are roughly 1,000 in the NWT and the numbers keep growing.

"The demand for plates has gone up," said Conway. "More and more people want them."