Liquor bust in Fort Good Hope
Committee releases report, calls for more resources
Kassina Ryder
Northern News Services
Published Monday, October 28, 2013
RADILIH KOE'/FORT GOOD HOPE
RCMP in Fort Good Hope intercepted a cargo of 18 40-ounce bottles of vodka destined for the community on Oct. 21 after receiving a Crime Stoppers tip that an individual was going to bring in, from Norman Wells, more alcohol than the community's liquor restrictions allow, according to a news release.
It is the second-largest liquor bust in the Sahtu region this month, after Tulita RCMP seized 77 bottles of vodka and 12 cans of beer on Oct. 12.
Liquor rules in the Sahtu could get tighter if the legislative assembly decides to approve new recommendations.
Last week, the Standing Committee on Government Operations released its report on Bill 24, a private member's bill introduced by Sahtu MLA Norman Yakeleya intended to amend the territory's Liquor Act.
Yakeleya introduced the bill after restrictions were lifted at the Norman Wells liquor store in 2012.
The committee travelled throughout the Sahtu region in September to hear from
residents about the proposed amendment, which would allow Sahtu communities to request, and vote in, future liquor plebiscites.
According to the report, the majority of residents agreed with the bill.
On Oct. 16, a new amendment to the proposal was added, which would require requests for plebiscites to come from more than half of the population of the Sahtu region, according to the report.
Finance Minister Michael Miltenberger would then decide whether or not to hold a plebiscite.
"The bill provides the minister with the option to order a vote if resolutions are received within a six-month period from councils representing at least three of the five Sahtu communities, provided they represent more than half the region's population," the report stated. "The communities would have to agree on the proposal to be voted on."
The report makes a series of recommendations intended to bolster the territory's existing liquor act and make way for the possibility of Bill 24, said Michael Nadli, the committee's chair.
Many of the recommendations focus on ways to curb bootlegging, including harsher penalties for bootleggers and possibly allowing police to take vehicles and equipment used in illegal alcohol operations.
They also call for more resources for RCMP, including dogs and infrared heat sensors, as well as special screening procedures at the territory's airports.
Nadli said the RCMP needs more support.
"Bootlegging has become very clandestine at this point," he said. "People are very creative in terms of bringing large amounts of liquor into communities."
The report also calls on the territory's justice department to develop a system for residents to anonymously report bootlegging.
Another recommendation would require individuals to provide their names and sign for large purchases of alcohol from liquor stores.
The report also highlights the need to reopen a treatment facility in the territory and establish an on-the-land treatment program in every community.
It also recommends providing better resources to "safe houses," such as women's shelters.
"There needs to be at least an opportunity for them if they need to physically remove themselves from an environment," Nadli said.
Nadli said while some community's have facilities in place, those facilities need more funding.
"They're grossly underfunded," he said.
During their review, committee members reviewed numbers provided by Sahtu region RCMP, which stated that alcohol is a factor in the majority of calls, according to the report.
There were 255 assaults in Sahtu communities in 2012, the report stated.
From January until May of this year, the Sahtu saw 120 Liquor Act offences. During that time,
there were 43 incidents of bootlegging in Deline, which has a population of 550 residents, the report stated.
The committee recommended taking a portion of the territory's liquor revenues and put it toward addictions treatment and education.
Other recommendations include establishing community alcohol committees and aftercare programming to support individuals leaving treatment programs.
The report will be discussed again during an upcoming committee of the whole meeting.
"We still have to go through the process and understand all sides of the matter before proceeding," Nadli said.
