Gjoa stays dry

Residents of Gjoa Haven voted overwhelmingly to keep their community dry on Tuesday, Oct. 25.

Ninety per cent of registered voters — 431 of a possible 480 — cast their ballots at the community hall, during a plebiscite that asked residents if they wanted to change the existing prohibition on liquor.

“No” was the answer for a sound majority, 72.5 per cent of voters. “We’ll continue the way it is,” said mayor Uriash Puqiqnak, who said the public’s stance on the issue was clear. “We’re comfortable with the way it is right now.”

A “Yes” vote of at least 60 per cent would have been needed to alter the booze ban.

Puqiqnak made several appearances on community radio to encourage voters to participate. “I said it’s your choice. I’m not going to tell you what to do.”

Among those who campaigned for the “No” vote were schoolchildren, who made colourful posters that encouraged residents to keep the community dry.

Booze still finds its way into the community.

RCMP stationed in Gjoa Haven say the vast majority of calls they respond to involve spousal abuse. Over half of those calls also involve alcohol, according to Cpl. Michele Ducharme.

But there are bigger problems than booze, Ducharme said. She counts marijuana as one. She said residents who fall on tough times turn to dope as a solution. “They don’t have money, they don’t have food. They go and buy a joint. That’s how they solve the problem.”

As for bootleggers, few people caught with alcohol are willing to point out who sold it to them. A mickey of alcohol sells on the streets of Gjoa Haven for $75, Ducharme said, which means several hundred dollars’ worth of booze can quickly turn into several thousand in cash. “It’s so lucrative to make money,” she said.

Police have charged two residents with illegal liquor sales since May. Both residents were caught selling small quantities of liquor, and were slapped with a fine of several hundred dollars, which Ducharme admits “is not much of a deterrent.”

Some residents were so happy with the outcome of the vote, they came to Ducharme with tears in their eyes, she said. “I’m very proud of the turnout. That’s something that needs to be noticed.”

A “Yes” vote included the option of creating a drug and alcohol education committee, which would have reviewed all alcohol orders with the choice of cutting off disruptive residents, as well as provide education campaigns in the community.

“We don’t have anything like that here,” said senior administrative officer Raymond Kamookak.

But residents struggling with alcoholism can turn to a drug and alcohol counsellor who works out of the old health building, or to social services workers in the health centre.

Regular Alcoholics Anonymous meetings also take place.