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Alcohol restrictions coming

Philippe Morin
Northern News Services

Fort McPherson (Nov 06/06) - Fort McPherson received a shocking reminder of why the community is considering restricting alcohol after two residents were involved in a snowmobiling accident.

NNSL Photo/graphic

Fort McPherson is considering restrictions on alcohol. - Philippe Morin/NNSL photo

Ernest William Francis died and his best friend Gary James Koe went missing Oct. 31 after falling through the ice of the Peel River. Family members believe the men had been drinking.

The evening of the accident the community held a town meeting to discuss restrictions on alcohol.

Mayor Rebecca Blake said a motion passed to ask the NWT to allow alcohol controls in the hamlet.

However, even if the territory agrees, she said the restriction would still be quite permissive.

Blake said anyone within 25-kilometre of the hamlet would be allowed to have two 40 ounce bottles of hard alcohol and two cases of beer per week.

One person having any more - regardless of who the bottles are for, or whether people claim to be stocking up for later - would be a bylaw violation. "I didn't vote for it, personally," Blake said, explaining she wanted tighter restrictions.

But ultimately, she said it was important that the community set a reasonable target, so bootleggers are targeted while ordinary residents have freedom to drink.

"Yes, that's a lot of alcohol, but I think there's a fighting chance to have this enforced. We're meeting people halfway and working with them," Blake said.

On Oct. 30, about 50 residents had a meeting to discuss the restriction in the hamlet.

Elder and social services representatives attended the meeting and Eileen Koe, sub-chief of the Gwich'in council, gave a talk on the dangers of alcohol.

RCMP const. Merle Carpenter was also there to hear residents' concerns.

He said cars would be checked as they entered the hamlet, and surplus alcohol would be taken away if the restriction becomes law.

"Obviously, we'll use discretion if you're driving from Whitehorse to Inuvik to fill the warehouse," he said.

Blake agreed that people simply driving the Dempster Highway would not be searched.

"If you keep trucking and go to Inuvik, you won't be bothered," she said.

Chief Peter Ross of Tsiigehtchic said the measure might help his hamlet, since both communities share the same RCMP detachment.

Tsiigehtchic has been a dry town since about 1991, Ross said, and it is sometimes difficult to enforce the hamlet's prohibition law.

He said he fully supports alcohol restrictions in McPherson, because he said it's improved people's lives in Tsiigehtchic.

"This used to be a really sad place," he said on Oct. 31.

"People were drinking way too much. But now, I look around and so many houses have trucks or snowmobiles. People are happier and the money's going to something good," he said.