Colville Lake introduces new liquor restrictions

At a plebiscite held earlier this month, residents of Colville Lake voted in favour of creating new liquor restrictions in the Sahtu community.

The restrictions, first reported by the CBC, will prevent anyone from bringing more than one 40-ounce bottle of liquor and a case of beer, or two litres of wine and a case of beer, within 25 km of the community in any seven-day period, according to the territory’s liquor commission.

Of 73 voters, 66 voted in favour of introducing liquor restrictions.

“Anybody can come with a case of whiskey and there’s nothing you can do. But when the restrictions are in place, then the police can search someone and if they have maybe three bottles of whiskey, they could confiscate that,” Joseph Kochon, the band manager for Behdzi Ahda’ First Nation, told the CBC.

The liquor restrictions will take effect on August 15 and RCMP will enforce them “when they are in the area or able to travel to the community,” a spokesperson for the territorial government said.

“Some of our community members were feeling the effects of alcohol during the winter time and almost year-round,” Kochon told Cabin Radio.

Community leadership will sit down with airlines that deliver supplies to Colville Lake to work out an agreement regarding the restrictions, he added.

Kochon says community cooperation will be the biggest asset in making the restrictions successful.

Liquor orders will also be monitored, the GNWT said, to ensure individuals don’t bring more into Colville Lake than is legally allowed.