Keno City, Yukon business owner says tavern is at risk over local mine's alcohol policy

A business owner in the small town of Keno City, Yukon says his tavern is becoming harder to maintain because of a policy restricting alcohol consumption for staff at a nearby mine site.

Keno City has a year-round population of about 20 people. That's bolstered by seasonal workers at Hecla mining company's Keno Hill property but Sourdough Cafe and Tavern co-owner Jim Bruce said a policy prohibiting its employees from buying, and consuming alcohol while staying at the mine's camp is hindering its operations.

The Sourdough offers food, drinks and alcohol off-sales.

Bruce said he understands the policy is based around workplace safety for workers while on shift, but said the company shouldn't be able to dictate what its employees can or cannot do while on their days off. He says the policy is an overreach and shows a lack of support for the local economy. 

"Keno is still a separate town. It's not a company camp," he said. "You know [workers] have the right to do whatever they want."

Bruce said the town doesn't see much tourist traffic and his business relies heavily on locals, and seasonal workers to keep the business afloat. He said his business is able to remain open, but if the revenue coming in isn't enough to support operations, he doesn't know what the future will hold.

"This is dramatically affecting our business trade," he said. "What we would like to see is for the company to change this policy and support the business."

Mike Satre is the director of governance affairs for Hecla Mining.

In an email response, he wrote the company has no intentions of changing it's policy. 

He said that employees are sometimes required to be on-call during off-hours and that permitting workers to consume alcohol during their off-work hours presents safety risks. 

"It is for that reason that Hecla prohibits workers and contractors from consuming alcohol while they are working at our mine site and staying at our camp," he wrote.

Satre said the company does encourage its employees to support Keno's local businesses, including the Sourdough Cafe and Tavern for food and non-alcoholic drinks.