Yellowknifers urged to secure tanks, amid concerns about youth huffing propane
CBC
People in Yellowknife have been noticing a number of recent thefts in residential areas, involving propane tanks.
And some local officials and organizations say it's connected to a "concerning" trend among youth who are apparently inhaling the gas to get a high.
Brad Brake, a corrections officer from Fort Smith, N.W.T., was in Yellowknife at the end of June for some meetings near Somba K'e Park when he saw four young people, aged about 20 or younger, with a propane tank outside of a building.
"I jumped the wall, went and got the propane tank from them because, you know, it's dangerous right?" Brake recalled. "And [I] got the propane tank from them and put it aside for someone to pick up."
Brake was back in Yellowknife for more meetings earlier this month when he saw more propane tanks outside the building, near the city's accessible playground. He said he called local bylaw and 15 minutes later, an officer showed up and together they found five close-to-empty propane tanks.
Brake worries that young people may not understand the effects of inhaling propane.
"It can lead to some very hazardous things happening with the body," he said.
The next day, Brake found even more propane tanks near the park along the shores of Frame Lake.
"Back in the day, I guess it would be, you know like, 20 or 30 years ago, you heard about it lots, it was more huffing gasoline and stuff like that. But now we're seeing propane."
RCMP in Yellowknife confirmed the detachment has received an increasing number of reports about people trying to gain access to propane tanks or attempting to inhale the fuel.
"It's definitely a new issue. It's not the typical calls that our officers are used to taking, and it is definitely very concerning for us," said Cpl. Matt Halstead, media relations officer with N.W.T. RCMP.
Halstead encouraged people to report such incidents to police.
"We have been out on the street trying to increase patrols and we've had some success in sort of catching people in the act or identifying people later in laying some charges," Halstead said.
"That being said, we just can't be everywhere at once, so I would encourage people to take whatever steps they can to secure their property."
This First Person column is the experience of Shannon Flaman, who lives in Red Deer, Alta. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
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