No beer woes, cheers in Rankin
Non-binding plebiscite means absolutely nothing, says mayor
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
RANKIN INLET
Mayor Robert Janes was not the least bit surprised when the people of Rankin Inlet voted overwhelmingly in favour of having a beer and wine store in the community during a May 1 plebiscite.
Mayor Robert Janes was not surprised that the Yes side carried the day by a wide margin in a plebiscite to determine if the community wanted a beer and wine store in Rankin Inlet on May 1. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo |
The Yes side garnered 372 votes in the plebiscite, while 127 people voted No in Rankin.
The outcome was even more one-sided in a plebiscite held in Cambridge Bay on the same day, with 349 people voting Yes in that community and 71 voting No.
The plebiscite is non-binding to the Government of Nunavut, which will make the final decision on whether either community gets its beer and wine store.
Janes said the community of Rankin has always been fairly good at handling alcohol.
He said when you look at the population of the community and the amount of liquor-related problems it has, that number is very low.
"Not only that, but the fact is we don't have any kind of restrictions on alcohol in this community and, if you look at it honestly, if there were serious problems or concerns with alcohol here, then we would have restrictions, alcohol committees and things of that nature," said Janes.
"So, I wasn't surprised, at all, by how wide of a margin the Yes side took the plebiscite by."
Janes said there can be no doubt about the fact that, when it comes to alcohol, hard liquor definitely has a tendency to cause a lot more problems in a community than beer.
That being said, he added, it also depends on the usage.
"There's absolutely nothing wrong with someone having a sociable drink after work or during the weekend, and, if those having a drink don't go overboard with it, I don't see any problem with it and I think most people share that view.
"A lot of people talk about the negative impact it may have on local bootleggers but, speaking as just Robert Janes, Rankin Inlet resident, I can't deny the fact that it may go the other way and the biggest impact it may have on bootleggers is, with that store open here, an opportunity for even more people to, maybe, give bootlegging a try.
"Once it's available here, there's no reason why someone couldn't save up their week's ration of beer or wine and sell it on the weekends.
"That's a situation that could evolve, but you never know how something's going to impact bootleggers, so, ultimately, you just have to wait and see."
Janes said as mayor, he feels the store would be a step forward for the community.
He said it's going to come eventually, anyway, so, in his opinion, now is a good time to test it in the community.
"If we try it and it doesn't work out, then we can always stop it.
"So, to me, it's not a really big deal because it's not something that once it goes in place, it's going to stay in place come hell or high water."
Janes said if anything, the accessibility of alcohol in Rankin has proven itself to be a good thing over time.
He said the accessibility has allowed people to become accustomed to alcohol being around and there's little to no urge of having to drink every drop in case it's a long time before it's around again.
"Instead of having to binge drink, which is a problem when people in dry communities end up in a town where alcohol is readily available, people in Rankin know it's here relatively quickly if you want to order it, whether it's from Winnipeg, Churchill, Iqaluit or Yellowknife.
"And, you can order more down the road if you want to, so, again, it's really no big deal.
"And, on an individual basis, you don't have to go through all the permitting processes that you would with an alcohol committee, so alcohol is relatively easy to get in Rankin and it's relatively easy to maintain and control."
Janes said he hasn't heard a word on the street since the results of the plebiscite.
He said, to date, there's been no fear mongering or predictions of doom being made known to him by anyone.
"Not a single person has come up to me and said we made a big mistake, this is all wrong, or anything like that.
"That hasn't happened at all, but, we can't forget that may simply be because most people know the plebiscite is non-binding and doesn't really mean anything at all.
"Many people in Rankin look at it as their right now to have a drink if they want to, and there's no need to change things to the way other communities may look at things or to go back to how things may have been at one time.
"In short, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, but, again, we're talking about a non-binding plebiscite that really means nothing; nothing at all."
