May 29, 2013 - 9:53 AM
KUGLUKTUK, Nunavut - A young boy's death has inspired a remote Arctic community to adopt a unique response to the problem of gas-sniffing.
People in Kugluktuk (koog-LOOK'-took) along the central Arctic coast are locking up gas containers in tough wooden boxes to keep them away from young people bent on inhaling fumes to get high.
Northerners depend on snow machines and quads to get around, and gasoline jerry cans are commonly stored in people's yards where sniffers can get at them.
But after a young teenager died last summer from inhaling fumes, the community decided something had to be done.
Carpenters built 121 rugged wooden boxes that can be locked up tight and have distributed them throughout the community.
It's too soon to judge the impact of the boxes, but Nunavut officials say they've already had inquiries from other communities about Kugluktuk's solution.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2013