Players with the Red Deer Rebels are visiting Central Alberta schools and telling kids about how making bad choices when it comes to drugs can ruin your life. Every year six Rebels players, accompanied by Red Deer city RCMP and undercover drug officers in Vancouver, visit the East Hastings area. Drug use is rampant there and the players see first hand how drugs can destroy lives. It's called Project Keep Straight. Defenseman Aaron Borejko was one of the Rebels players who spoke at a recent Downtown Rotary luncheon. He described the Vancouver trip as an "Eye-opener. I didn't expect to see anything like that. What startled me was the openness of the drug use and the openness of the drug addicts to talk about their lives. It's scary." [continues 304 words]
For over the past month police and social service agencies in Red Deer have intensified their battle against the longstanding harm of date rape drugs. Red Deer city RCMP announced earlier this month of the arrest of 28-year-old Marty Dickson of Red Deer, who allegedly was caught with quantities of the well-known date rape drugs of GHB and Ketamine. In February, the Central Alberta AIDS Network Society (CAANS) took part in the Edmonton-based initiative Night Gone Right, a project aimed at bolstering awareness about the dangers of date rape drugs. Staff members from Night Gone Right were joined by local women and they visited several bars in the City over three weekends to talk with patrons about staying safe on the party circuit. [continues 345 words]
Jennifer walked into her friend's bedroom and saw an enormous suitcase. "Whoah! Is there anything left in your closet?" "Hey, You never know what kind of weather you'll have." "In Cuba?" "I need all this stuff!" "You need six pairs of jeans, 21 t-shirts?" "Well." "And what's this huge bag? Marcy grabbed it back. "Toiletries. It's personal." "Oh please. We're best friends! I know all your toiletries." "I have some Ecstasy." Jennifer was horrified. "I can't believe you." [continues 361 words]
A city man is taking his own experiences of drug addiction and dealing and turning them around into messages of hope for youth and parents. Tom Barthel talks to kids and their parents about the dangers of drugs and the way out of addiction through his Red Deer-based Street Smart Counselling. Things were good for him in earlier years, earning top grades and excelling in general. But life changed by the time he was 16, and he started hanging with the "wild" kids. [continues 506 words]
Several Red Deer Rebels got a first-hand look yesterday at the devastating consequences of drug addiction in Vancouver's downtown east side. Red Deer Rebels Jordie Deagle, Nathan Green, Willie Coetzee, Colin Archer, Darcy Kuemper and Brett Ferguson were taken on a tour of East Hastings as part of Project Keep Straight. "It's overwhelming, and of course a totally different environment for them," said Cpl. Kent Dahl of the RCMP's Red Deer Federal Drug Section of the two-day trip. [continues 735 words]
Janine appeared at Chloe's door with a homemade pie. "Sorry I'm late for the party." She looked around. "Wow.lots of people.and lots of smokers." She coughed. "Yeah! All my old buddies showed up!" Chloe said. "Let's heat up your pie." Janine hesitated. "I don't recognize anyone." "They're all friendly," Chloe assured her. Chloe's friends came into the kitchen. "Hey Chloe-baby, running low on food out there." Janine managed a smile. "Uhh.I have some pie." [continues 374 words]
Staff at the detox centre in Red Deer have had to turn away about 600 people this year because they have been at full capacity. "This really speaks to the need for a treatment program here," said Colleen Markus, director of programs for Central Alberta Safe Harbour Society for Health and Housing. More than 500 people have been treated at the detox centre this past year. "The numbers are not surprising," said Markus. "We were expecting that based on the numbers we had when we were operating out of the temporary detox which only had a few beds. [continues 222 words]
The Red Deer Rebels Drug Squad has a message to get out to young people that has nothing to do with hockey and everything to do with making good choices. Don't do drugs! Six Red Deer Rebels, working in conjunction with Red Deer RCMP officers on Project Keepstraight, are visiting schools within Central Alberta to get this message out there. A visit to skid row in Vancouver in mid October has given the Rebels first hand knowledge of the hopeless life of a drug addict. And this is the message they are doing their best to convey to students. [continues 189 words]
The city's municipal planning commission has given the green light to a safe house for teens battling drug and alcohol addictions to be located on the Michener lands. Currently, the safe house, which is run by McMan Youth Family and Community Services Association, is located in Oriole Park. "It's fantastic," said Bonnie Taks, program manager for McMan Youth Family and Community Services Association, after MPC's approval. "I can't tell you how wonderful it is that we have this program continuing on in this community." [continues 188 words]
Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach announced the province is adding 183 new police officers as part of a comprehensive counter attack in the ongoing war against gangs and drugs. However, while he announced yesterday that a significant bulk of the new resources will go to Calgary and Edmonton there was little if any mention of how many will be dedicated to Red Deer and Central Alberta. But in his announcement the premier did say plans are being finalized for the placement of 20 officers for RCMP municipal policing priorities. [continues 531 words]
All Canadians deserve to live in safe neighbourhoods. In recent years the public's attention has focused on the rising scourge of gang, gun and drug violence that paralyzes too many neighbourhoods. These problems are very real and deserve real action. As of May 1, three new laws from the government's Tackling Violent Crime Act went into effect. The age of sexual consent has been officially increased from 14 to 16. Individuals charged with gun crimes will find it much more difficult to get bail and criminals who are convicted of gun offences will face stiff mandatory minimum sentences. [continues 235 words]
Recently, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that random searches by drug sniffing dogs in Canadian high schools cannot take place unless there is already reasonable suspicion that drugs are present. While the federal government will abide by this ruling, it strongly disagrees with the Supreme Court's decision. Drug sniffing dogs are a powerful deterrent for drug criminals. They can detect even the faintest traces of drugs from a great distance, even if those drugs are tightly sealed. The Supreme Court's ruling opens up the possibility that the use of drug sniffing dogs in other public spaces, such as airports, could also be challenged in the future. [continues 229 words]
Albertans show almost twice the national rate of reporting addiction problems and substance abuse issues, says a recent report. "We are seeing a very unusual trend here, and it is likely linked with Alberta's sudden growth," said Rod Phillips, president and CEO of Shepell-fgi, a Toronto-based group specializing in health and wellness solutions in the workplace. "We are seeing a number of people coming to this province for great jobs and great opportunities -- but at the same time they are under a lot of stress and don't have their normal support systems available." [continues 319 words]
Drug traffickers in Red Deer are on the run as Mounties have taken down more than a dozen drug houses in the past year and have another 30 across the city under current investigation. "I think we have forced drug dealers to be on the move more, as opposed to being stationary," said Red Deer city RCMP S. Sgt. Keith Janes, who heads the detachment's General Investigation Section. "To some people that might not appear to be a good thing (but) when they move everything they can actually be easier to catch when they are mobile." [continues 578 words]
After reviewing the science, and acknowledging public outcry about environmental issues, the Tory Party is suddenly trying to come off as "green". When it comes to the war on certain drugs, however, the Tories refuse to look past their twisted ideology. Undaunted by facts, science, history, or public opinion, the Tories are promising to hire more officers, build more jails, and "crack down" on drug users and dealers - a policy which has proven time and time again to be ineffective and counterproductive. [continues 55 words]
RE: Giuliano Zaccardelli: Good Riddance To Bad Rubbish I am glad to finally see the public menace known as Giuliano Zaccardelli climbing down from his high horse. My personal dream is that he will face some criminal and civil charges in his new civilian life. That might (to take a page from the RCMP philosophy on drug use and crime) act as a "deterrent" to other commissioners who might want to operate like the way Zaccardelli did. Firing him would have sent a stronger message, but that would be too much to ask. [continues 668 words]
Canada's new government is taking action to protect the lives of innocent people from those who drive under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Legislative reforms introduced last week will ensure that drug-impaired drivers face similar testing to that which drunk drivers now face. The government is also giving police better tools to detect and investigate drug and alcohol-impaired driving, and increasing the penalties convicted impaired drivers face. The government will be providing more tools for the police. They will be able to demand that a person suspected of driving while impaired by alcohol or a drug participate in a sobriety test at the roadside and police will be able to demand that a person suspected of driving while impaired by a drug participate in physical tests and bodily fluid sample tests. [continues 199 words]
How can the government justify this new affront to our civil rights and liberties? There are no numbers to show that there has been an "increase" in drugged driving incidents, as no official study has ever been done. Remember, this is the same government who wants to "crack down" on a crime rate that has been steadily dropping. Imagine this scenario: Someone is driving around, stoned on tranquillizers, painkillers, cold-medications, or some combination thereof. The driver gets pulled over and appears - to the police officer - to be visibly "impaired." [continues 194 words]
Community representatives from across the province gathered in Red Deer yesterday to build on momentum for strategies to problems caused by alcohol and drugs. The 2nd Annual Alberta Drug Strategy Coalition Showcase, sponsored by the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC), was held at the Red Deer Lodge, and 57 communities were represented. Participants were hoping momentum to exchange ideas would take another leap forward from the proactive initiatives put forward in last month's report from the Premier's Task Force on Crystal Meth. [continues 463 words]
The final report from the Premier's Task Force on Crystal Meth is bold, ambitious and most surprisingly of all, laden with a sense the Alberta Tory government might just proceed to tackle a serious social problem with unprecedented vigour. "The government has to support it," declared Red Deer North MLA Mary Anne Jablonski, the only elected MLA on the task force committee. But hold on to your hats folks - we can't for a second ignore the fact that we live in Toryland, Alberta - the land where the bottom line rules and quick decisive action is reserved only for approving more oil sands projects. [continues 862 words]
