Hamlet takes tougher stance on bootlegging, family violence

DENISE RIDEOUT

Disgusted with the drunken parties, the bootlegging, the drug dealing and the domestic assaults in Cambridge Bay, the hamlet council is saying enough is enough.

At a hamlet meeting on Jan. 10, councillors passed a resolution to take a harsh stance against substance abuse and crime. They’re also supporting the RCMP’s efforts to crack down on bootleggers and drug dealers.

It’s the first time the council has taken such an aggressive position against some of the most frequent illegal activities in town, said mayor Keith Peterson.

“We talked and talked and talked. But we’d never passed a resolution saying we don’t condone this kind of activity in this town,” Peterson said.

Now council is coming out in full force, saying bootlegging, drug dealing and abuse won’t be tolerated.

The mayor said he was prompted to propose the resolution after seeing the high number of liquor offences and domestic assaults in the RCMP’s files.

He described the numbers as appalling. Peterson said alcohol is to blame in about 90 per cent of calls officers respond to. Last year alone, there were 504 liquor-related offences.

Sgt. Gary Peck with Cambridge Bay RCMP said marijuana and booze are causing trouble for residents.

“Bootlegging is one of our major issues here, along with domestic violence. The bootlegging leads to some of that violence, I’m sure,” Peck said.

“There’s an active drug trade within our community, there’s no doubt about that,” he added.

It’s that dark side of Cambridge Bay the hamlet no longer wants residents to ignore.

“People are spending $300 for a bottle of whiskey. There are parties galore. It leads to crime and domestic violence and guys in the drunk tank,” the mayor said.

Spend a weekend night at the town’s curling rink and the picture becomes gloomier, Peterson said.

This past Friday night, a day after the council passed the resolution, a group of kids were hanging around the rink until 1 a.m. because it was much better than going home.

“There were about 40 kids in there and about half of them couldn’t go home because their relatives were drunk or passed out or fighting or there’s something going on there. I was saying ‘What’s happening in town when kids can’t go home at 1 or 2 o’clock in the morning?’ ” he said.

Amid the drinking and abuse, someone is making a profit, Peterson said. “There are guys here in town making upward of $10,000 a week selling booze and selling drugs.”

Police officers at the Cambridge Bay detachment welcome the council’s new tough stance. Peck said it’s good to see the hamlet council and the RCMP on the same page when it comes to alcohol and drugs.

“We’re 100 per cent behind it if the community is taking proactive steps to denounce illegal activities that affect the quality of life within our community,” he said.