Baker Lake man starts Alcoholics Anonymous group

SO DID BILL AND BOB –

July 16, 2021 – The move was particularly important following the community’s April liquor plebiscite, in which not enough residents voted for regulating the sale of alcohol to change the status quo, Qiyuaryuk said.

After he reached out to the community on Facebook for somewhere to hold the meetings, the a local pastor contacted him.

“I couldn’t find a place to do the meetings so he suggested we could do it at the Roman Catholic Church,” said Qiyuaryuk.

Aaron Solberg, Reverend Deacon at St. Aidan’s Anglican Parish, just moved to Baker Lake last year. He had been thinking of starting an Alcoholics Anonymous program himself, but then he connected with Qiyuaryuk.

“From the get-go I saw that AA is a necessity,” Solberg said.

Although he has some familiarity with the way Alcoholics Anonymous functions, Solberg said he was happy to let Qiyuaryuk take the lead with the meetings.

“You help people the most often when you want to help yourself,” he said.

So far Qiyuaryuk has hosted three meetings. Although just a handful of people have attended, he’s hoping the number will grow as more residents find out about it. He added that people who are uncomfortable coming to the meetings alone are welcome to bring a friend to support them.