Yellowknife (Oct 22/03) - A public meeting of the NWT Liquor Licensing Board turned into heated -- and sometimes bizarre -- town hall last Wednesday as close to 70 Yellowknifers gathered to talk about problems in the downtown core.

Jennifer Marchant, manager of the Centre Square Mall, stands in front of a set of frequently-smashed windows. She said the mall spends about $8,000 a year on new panes. - Andrew Raven/NNSL photo

The board called the meeting to address the issue of drunkenness in licensed establishments, but speakers shared their thoughts on everything from drug use to public sex.

Tempers flared and accusations flew during the three hour meeting which included social workers, bar owners, police officials and downtown residents.

Arlene Hache, head of Centre for Northern Families, laid some of the blame for public intoxication on downtown bars.

"There is over serving in the bars, no doubt about it. They need to take some responsibility for the situation."

Jim Sturge, owner of the Raven Pub, reacted angrily to accusations that bars were allowing patrons to get drunk.

"Many negative and nasty things are going on (that aren't taking place in bars)."

He blamed the media for fostering a negative image of bar owners and the downtown scene.

Mayor Gord Van Tighem asked the board to extend bar hours after last call -- about 1:30 a.m. -- in order to discourage binge drinking.

Extended hours would also prevent patrons from spilling out into the street all at once said Van Tighem.

"(These measures) would help reduce drinking and fighting."

A number of people pointed the finger of blame squarely at the RCMP.

"We need more police downtown... and they need to make more arrests," said Loc Ngyen, owner of the Reddi Mart on 50th Street.

But RCMP Sgt. Steve McVarnock said a police crackdown wouldn't address the underlying causes of drunkenness. "I could arrest 100 drunk people each night, but 80 per cent would be back on the street the next day. It's a complicated issue."

McVarnock did admit G Division was facing a budget crunch, which makes it difficult to conduct sweeps like last week's Operation Hydra on a regular basis.

"I would love to waive a magic wand and have 16 officers to make things safer."

But the size of Yellowknife's police force hasn't kept up with the growth of the city, he said.

"We have 29 officers for a population of about 20,000 right now. In 1983, we had 24 officers for 11,000 people."

McVarnock said the division might assign three new officers to Yellowknife in the near future, but simple enforcement would not solve the problem.

A number of downtown residents and business owners described a neighbourhood plagued by drunkenness, vandalism and displays of public sex.

"People have sex in my backyard," said resident John Best.

Centre Square Mall manager Jennifer Marchant said she has spent $50,000 over the last three years on extra security.

"We also pay about $8,000 a year to replace broken glass," she said.

The liquor board meeting also attracted a number of people who jumped at the chance to address a large audience, even if their message was off topic -- or they had no message at all.

One woman, who identified herself as a street person, jeered a number of speakers including MacVarnock.

After several cat calls, she walked up to the podium and asked what the meeting was about.

"What's this, eh," she repeated.

"I'm a street person. It's better than living in a house," the woman continued.

After a long silence, an audience member asked her to have a seat and she ran out of the room.

Another man, who said he had a brain disease, talked about being separated from his sons for more than two years.

"I've been desperately trying to establish contact with my boys," he said. He went on to cite a number of studies that showed children who grew up without their fathers are more likely to get into trouble.

The off-topic presentation drew raised eyebrows from audience members and the board, but undaunted, the man continued for five minutes

Take all suggestions

Liquor board chair John Simpson said his group would take all suggestions under advisement and pass on the ideas that didn't fall under its mandate to other government organizations. "We've got a big challenge ahead of us. There are a lot of good ideas that we can use," he said.

But other board members weren't nearly as optimistic.

"I don't think anybody can come up with the answer," said Ross Ullathorne.