Eskasoni residents divided about new liquor store coming to community
Eskasoni First Nation on Cape Breton Island is about to get its first licensed liquor store, however, opinions in the community are split about whether it's a wise move.
"I'm a drug addict myself and alcoholic. I'm on a program now, I'm trying to quit drugs and alcohol," said Eskasoni resident A.J. Simon.
Simon and his friend George Bernard admit they have struggled with substance abuse issues.
They say having easier access to alcohol in the community will make things more difficult for those trying to overcome addiction.
"It's more access for people around here," Bernard said.
An online petition against the liquor store is nearing its goal of 500 signatures, but not everyone thinks it's a bad idea.
"It would be more convenient," said one resident at a home next to the proposed location for the store.
Beverley Ware with the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation says it's about providing the service and convenience customers are looking for.
The alcohol and cannabis store will be in a commercial plaza along Shore Road that already has a Tim Horton’s, a gaming centre and a Foodland grocery store.
Proponents say a NSLC outlet would be another step in economic development in the community, while Ware says the same protocols will be in place as at any of their other outlets.
"We take into account whether it's something that's wanted by the community. In this case, the chief and the council had approached us," Ware said. "We will not serve customers who appear to be impaired. Our employees are trained to recognize and have conversations with our customers to ensure we are conducting sales responsibly."
Currently, the closest NSLC outlet to Eskasoni is at the East Bay Country Market – a more than 40-kilometre round-trip from the Mi’kmaq community.
While there is a NSLC outlet on Paqtnkek First Nation, near Antigonish, N.S., Ware says the store in Eskasoni would be a provincial first in another way.
"This would be the first time that it's a corporate store in a First Nations community," Ware said.
CTV Atlantic tried contacting Eskasoni Chief Leroy Denny for comment, but didn’t hear back by publish time.
Meanwhile, despite the debate, the Eskasoni NSLC appears to be a done deal.
Ware says construction, and the hiring process, are already underway and expects the store to open in early September.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
Poilievre returns to House unrepentant for calling Trudeau 'wacko,' Speaker not resigning
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
Plane overshoots runway at airport in St. John's, N.L., no injuries reported
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are headed to St. John's, N.L., after a plane overshot a runway at the city's airport this afternoon.
A teen was found buried in a basement in New York. An engraved ring helped police learn her identity two decades later
Investigators have finally revealed the identity of an unknown victim nicknamed 'Midtown Jane Doe,' who was found in the Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood of New York City two decades ago.