Baker Lake police nab four impaired drivers over the holidays

Police in Baker Lake have charged four drivers with impaired driving since the holidays began. (FILE PHOTO)

Police in Baker Lake say they’ve charged four drivers with impaired driving during the holiday season — despite a temporary alcohol ban in the Kivalliq community.

Members of the Baker Lake RCMP detachment also said three of the four impaired driving incidents happened in the first two days of the New Year: Jan. 1 and Jan. 2.

The rash of drinking and driving is particularly high in such a short period of time, said Nunavut RCMP spokeswoman Sgt. Yvonne Niego.

In these cases, drivers were stopped at check stops or following complaints from people in the community.

“The community citizens that report these matters must be commended for this,” Niego said. “Early apprehension can help keep injury and deaths caused by impaired driving down or hopefully non-existent.”

But Baker Lake police still want to get this message out: drinking and driving can have devastating effects on a community.

Many residents there were hoping for a quieter Christmas this year; Baker Lake was one of seven Nunavut communities to impose a holiday ban on booze. That ban ended in Baker Lake Jan. 1.

Police and the town’s municipal enforcement branch say they continue to coordinate efforts to enforce alcohol-related driving offences in the community.

“If you drink or take drugs, choose not to drive (and) don’t let your friends or family drive while impaired,” the Nunavut RCMP said in a Jan. 3 release, “and if you see an impaired driver, contact your local police.”