Pubdate: Wed, 18 Jan 2006
Source: Daily Herald-Tribune, The (CN AB)
Copyright: 2006 The Daily Herald-Tribune
Contact:  http://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/804
Author: Kevin Crush

DRUGS ARE THE ISSUE; WHILE GUNS GET THE ATTENTION, IT'S NOT THE 
CONCERN IN THE PEACE

While the national parties are drum beating about gun violence as the 
biggest crime threat to Canada, it's drugs that are the worry in the 
Peace region.

Drugs have led to major social problems in Grande Prairie's downtown 
core, and the local courthouse sees a veritable revolving door of 
drug-related charges.

Federal politicians need to do more to help communities rid 
themselves of the drug problem, says Independent candidate Bill Given.

Not only are more police needed but more resources need to be 
directed to social strategies.

"As a federal politician, I would try to work to see that 
municipalities that pay for policing get more money for crime 
prevention strategies," he says.

Given, an alderman with the City of Grande Prairie, notes it was a 
federal program that helped the city hire its own crime prevention facilitator.

Governments need to get tough on crime to bring the rates down, said 
Conservative candidate Chris Warkentin.

"We (the Conservative Party) are proposing that any crime that 
involves guns or violence of a severe nature or drugs, or some type 
of sex offence should have some sort of minimum mandatory sentence as 
a punishment for these types of crimes."

Warkentin agreed many crimes in this region are being fuelled by 
drugs and said stiffer punishments would help prevent those type of crimes.

"I certainly think it would be a deterrent, but obviously there need 
to be other measures that need to be put in place as well. One of the 
things we're proposing is that we have more front-line police 
members. We need police on the ground so they can enforce the laws 
and certainly protect citizens that are not involved in these types of things."

It's not just about tougher sentences, argues NDP candidate Susan 
Thompson. There has to be poverty reduction and programs aimed at 
preventing youths from ever getting involved in drugs in the first 
place. Governments also need to focus heavily on the problem of 
crystal meth, she said, not only because it is the drug of choice at 
the moment but also because of its tendency to cause violent behaviour.

"We have to have more rehabilitation programs in place for young 
people who do get hooked on this stuff to help them get off of it 
because it is a very damaging drug."

Thompson said the NDP wants to crack down on crystal meth producers, 
make it tougher to access the ingredients, and make it an offence to 
possess those ingredients if it could be shown they were to be used 
to make drugs.

Warkentin also said the Conservatives would introduce a plan to limit 
access to meth ingredients.

At the heart of taking drugs out of the community, Given pointed to 
his aldermanic experience and setting up a crime prevention program 
in the city that focused on bringing the community together.

"Essentially the root causes of crime are people who are not involved 
in society and so we need to find ways to bring them in - 
particularly youth - and get them involved so they have opportunities 
to explore options in life."

Liberal candidate Tanya Kappo and Green Party candidate Zane Lewis 
did not return calls for this story.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom