Chris Hunsley
Northern News Services

Fort Good Hope (June 20/05) - A plan to ban booze in Fort Good Hope was quashed with a resounding "No," Wednesday.

More than 80 per cent of eligible voters turned out to the band office to cast their vote for the plebiscite, with those against further alcohol restrictions tallying 64 per cent of the votes.

"We had 184 against, 99 voted for it and six ballots were spoiled," said returning officer Evelyn Shae. "It's sad."

A voluntary, six-month prohibition has been in place since January.

"It's pretty clear the community doesn't want it," said Cpl. Donna Rorrison of the Fort Good Hope RCMP, who along with other residents, had pushed for prohibition.

The majority of her work is responding to issues related to alcohol and that has only increased over the last few years, she said.

Healthy living education will still go ahead as planned, she explained, saying the framework for programs related to leadership, residential school abuse, alcohol abuse, and support groups was already in place.

"The courage that it took for those who initiated this was tremendous," she said of the community-driven and extremely contentious plebiscite.

A ration system will remain in place.

Now that liquor is once again allowed in the community of approximately 550, bootlegging will not be permitted.

"We have always acted on information when it comes in and continue to put people to the courts," said Rorrison.