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NNSL Photo

RCMP patrol cars are a frequent sight on 50th Street. Police say they made 2,029 alcohol-related arrests in Yellowknife last year, many of them downtown. The NWT Liquor Licensing Board discussed the issue of downtown drunkeness this week. - Andrew Raven/NNSL photo

Lure of the bottle

Downtown drunkenness seems to be getting worse, liquor board says

Andrew Raven
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 12/03) - It's a cool Wednesday night in downtown Yellowknife and a man, fresh out of the Gold Range, stumbles down the middle of 50th Street.

He's fighting to keep his balance through an onslaught of headlights and horns and expletive-hurling drivers.

He pounds on the hood of a taxi cab, yells at two women from across the street and slowly makes his way down to the Right Spot, where he joins four or five other equally inebriated men.

"There are problems here all the time... and they're usually related to alcohol," said Jonah Hex, who braved 50th street alone Wednesday night.

"You have one bar after another and nothing in between. Where else are people going to go at night?"

According to recent statistics released by the Liquor Licensing Board, drunkenness in Yellowknife, and especially the downtown core, has reached epidemic proportions.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have made 2,029 arrests for alcohol related offenses over the last year, an average of nearly six per day.

But the majority of those offences don't result in charges being laid.

Most of the people detained by the RCMP spend the night in a holding cell before being released the next morning.

"I don't think the best way to deal with social issues like alcohol abuse is to rigidly enforce the Criminal Code," said RCMP Insp. Paul Richards.

"Throwing people into jail doesn't address the root cause of the problem."

Instead, the RCMP has joined forces with the Yellowknife Community Wellness Coalition, an organization created to examine the substance abuse problem in the city.

"We, as police, can only do so much," said Richards. "Alcohol abuse is a community wide problem...and the coalition provides a longer term solution."

But some business owners along 50th Street think the police should be making more arrests and cracking down on public drunkenness.

"Every day, drunks steal things from my store," said Loc Nguyen, who owns the Reddi Mart on the corner of 50th Street and 51st Avenue.

"The police need to do more. I've been here for 13 years... and the problem is getting worse."

Nguyen said theft and vandalism --he estimates his windows are smashed about twice a year-- cost him thousands of dollars annually.

"The RCMP has to realize that businesses pay the majority of the taxes. If they leave, the city will be in a lot of trouble."

Liquor board weighs in

The issue of public drunkenness has also drawn the attention of the NWT Liquor Licensing Board, which admits it isn't quite sure what to do about the problem.

"I'm confused as to what the answer is," said board member Ross Ullathorne during a public meeting in Yellowknife Wednesday.

"It seems like more and more people are staggering around drunk, even during the day... and that's giving the downtown a bad reputation," added board member John Simpson.

"Have we done enough? Personally I think we can do more."

In order to address the issue, the board asked the RCMP for detailed statistics on public drunkenness.

"We need to know where these people are coming from," said chair Eric Malmsten.

"If they're coming from bars, then we have to address that."

Some board members suggested cracking down on bars that serve people to the point of intoxication.

"There's no question, licensed establishments play a role in (public drunkenness)," said John Simpson.

One of the challenges facing the board is a lack of resources. There are only two or three liquor inspection officers in Yellowknife, making it difficult to keep tabs on local bars.

Other members said there needs to be a wholesale changed in the way people in Yellowknife think about alcohol.

"It seems like public drunkenness is accepted," said Albert Monchuck.

"I think people need to start taking responsibility for their actions. It can't all be an enforcement issue."

On Wednesday night, Yellowknifer spoke with several pedestrians, all of whom expressed reservations about walking down 50th Street after dark.

"So much stuff goes on here. I don't like being here by myself at night," said Elizabeth Aikens, clutching the arm of her boyfriend Ian Fowler.

"You here stories and stuff, so I worry about it a bit," said Fowler.

Bertha Sanderson, who was visiting from Lutsel K'e described 50th St. as "scary."

"It's not like it was in the '70s. "It's just not safe."

Ngyuen meanwhile, is nearly at the end of his rope.

"When I think about, I get mad," he said. "Mad and sick."