Pubdate: Wed, 01 Feb 2006
Source: Tumbler Ridge News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2006 Tumbler Ridge News
Contact:  http://www.tumblerridgenews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3600
Author: Judy Clavier, Board Chair School District No.59
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?199 (Mandatory Minimum Sentencing)

ADDRESSING THE DRUG ISSUE - SCHOOL DISTRICT #59 - OPEN LETTER TO JAY
HILL

Mr Jay Hill MP Federal Member Of Parliament Prince George-Peace River 
8612-100 Avenue, Fort. St. John, BC. Vii 1x1 01/24/06

Dear Mr. Hill,

I am writing this letter to request your support in a campaign of 
change. Our issue is the continued operation of drug houses, 
marijuana grow operations and the apparent impunity with which known 
drug dealers continue selling their product within our communities.

As you know, one of the most significant roles of school districts is 
to provide safe and secure learning environments for our children. 
That allows them to develop in many ways toward becoming contributing 
citizens. This role is becoming increasingly difficult to fulfill 
with drug houses and dealers establishing their operations adjacent 
to, or within a short distance from school property. Moreover, the 
highly addictive nature of current drugs, such as crystal 
methamphetamine, exacerbates the challenges facing our youth, our 
schools, and indeed our nation. We must rethink our legal practices 
and have the political and social will to forestall the drug related 
activities that all of our children are witness to. New strategies 
are needed to intervene in the growing number of addicted youth. 
These youth face years of debilitation and lost productivity as they 
pursue their need for drugs. Many become burdens to their communities 
as well as the health care and justice systems as the result of their 
addictions.

Additionally, our Board is seriously concerned by the apathy and 
complacency that is developing in our communities. As these drug 
operations continue to 'do business' with impunity, public perception 
is that there is an inability on the part of the justice system to 
remove these obvious risks to the safety and well being of our 
children. When we consider overall risks to national security, we 
believe the operation of drug houses, drug labs, grow operations, and 
drug dealers, represent significantly greater "threat to the security 
of our nation" than the risks from outside our national borders.

Edmund Burke said, The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil 
is for good men to do nothing." Mr. Hill, it is frightening to each 
of us as parents and as School District No. 59 trustees to live in a 
community where most children above the age of 12 could report the 
location of at least 1 drug house. In Dawson Creek, a -popular drug 
house bordering on the property of our secondary school continued to 
host drug sales for years. Despite the efforts of the RCMP, and 
numerous anti-drug education programs, a steady stream of citizens 
and students continued to frequent the location. What is wrong with 
Canadian legal structures, that permits such illegal practices to 
occur undaunted? Is the loss of safe, secure communities the price we 
all pay in the interest of protecting the constitutional rights of 
criminals? If this is a question about the rights of the criminals, 
then who is standing guard for the rights of our children. 
Law-abiding citizens want their children to grow up in safe 
communities free from the influences of those who sell drugs and 
operate drug establishments. Very simply, the current practices are 
not producing results that will reduce drug related activities.

In short, we need effective action to be taken. The Board of School 
Trustees for School District No. 59 is requesting that you propose 
and support a review, by Canada's Minister of Public Safety, together 
with the Minister of Justice and Attomey General for Canada. This 
review will identify the barriers and result in remedies that will 
facilitate the prosecution and incarceration of those in the illegal 
drug trade. It is apparcnt that the penalties are insufficient, and 
the strategies are ineffective deterrents to these criminals. Our 
hope is that this review will result in mandatory penalties for those 
who would sell drugs to children or near facilities where children frequent.

This matter is of such significance to the children of our nation, 
that we encourage the leadership in all school districts in the 
nation to write letters to their Members) of Parliament with a 
similar request for action.

Judy Clavier/Board Chair School District No.59 (Peace River South) 
copy: Mr. Blair Lekstrom MLA BC School Trustees Association The 
Honourable Steven Harper, Prime Minister Elect The Honourable Paul Martin
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom