file photo/ paNOW Staff

By Charlene Tebbutt

Alcohol consumption

Police, city looking for options around alcohol consumption

Feb 26, 2019 | 5:55 PM

Local officials say they’re being challenged when it comes to curbing alcohol consumption and are looking for options to limit or restrict the purchase of large quantities of alcohol.

Both the Prince Albert Police Service and Mayor Greg Dionne say they want more options when it comes to liquor sales. Police Chief Jon Bergen said bootlegging is a huge problem across northern Saskatchewan, fueled by alcohol that is purchased out of communities like Prince Albert.

“We think that we feed the problem to the North,” Bergen told the board of police commissioners this week.

In an interview after the meeting, Bergen said the police service looked at options in current legislation, but currently there are no rules against buying or reporting large quantities of alcohol for consumption. A report to the police board also noted that permits are not required to transport large quantities of alcohol.

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“Alcohol is accessible through off-sales and liquor stores, but it is a challenge for different communities, so we took a look here to see what we’re doing here and if we could do anything that could positively reduce the challenge to other communities,” Bergen added. “We looked at legislation around purchase and the transportation and the quantity, and really, it’s limited as to what enforcement action we could take.”

A good portion of everyday arrests by Prince Albert Police can be attributed to alcohol abuse, Bergen added.

“When we watch the Cannabis Act and the regulations around the Cannabis Act come out, there’s limits on how much somebody can possess and what’s a reasonable amount to possess, and with alcohol there’s really no limits on what is a reasonable amount to personally possess,” he said. “If it’s less available then it should be less of a problem.”

Mayor Greg Dionne has travelled to several northern Saskatchewan communities in recent months and said northern leaders are asking for support.

“Over and alone every community says help us with the bootlegging problem that’s coming out of P.A.” Dionne said. “A single person can go in, that says it’s for his own use, and buy 10 cases of booze and there’s nothing we can do about it. So what we want to do is make the government more accountable.”

Dionne said the city is planning more discussions with northern leaders and wants to talk with the province about the issue as well.

“We have an alcohol problem in the province and I think the province will look at it favourably,” Dionne added.

A spokesperson with the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority confirmed there are no regulations around the amount of alcohol that someone can buy, although anyone wanting to sell alcohol must obtain a permit. The SLGA says some customers prefer to make large purchases of alcohol, rather than several smaller purchases, and staff at liquor stores do not deny purchases of larger quantities, but will report them when asked.

The SLGA said there are no plans at this time to restrict the amount of alcohol that can be purchased at one time or how it is transported. When it comes to concerns in Prince Albert, the government said it will continue to work with the community and police on initiatives that promote safe consumption.

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Charlene.tebbutt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt