Judging by a Sept. 19 public meeting, it appears many people in Hay River are less than enthusiastic about the coming legislation of the recreational use of cannabis.

"I just think that this whole initiative is regressive," said Jane Groenewegen, former Hay River South MLA and a former minister of Health and Social Services.

Groenewegen said legalization next year by the federal government will go against efforts to counter substance abuse in the NWT and trying to encourage people to make healthy choices.

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In 2008, some students at a Hay River high school approached administration with concerns that drug and alcohol abuse had gotten out of control among their friends.

One felt a couple of his friends had dropped out of school because of it.

That was the spark that led to the creation of the Hay River Drug and Alcohol Strategy.

The administration of Diamond Jenness Secondary School (DJSS) took the concerns to Jill Taylor, who has become the driving force of the strategy involving 32 different organizations in an inter-agency group.

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Hay River Ponders New Way To Halt Vendors Of Drug Paraphernalia

HAY RIVER - The Town of Hay River is considering a new approach in its attempt to stop roadside vendors of drug-related paraphernalia from coming to the community. Originally, town council had wondered if there was some way to ban just those particular travelling salespeople from the town.

However, council discovered it could not legally do so.

The town is now proposing to amend its business licence bylaw to prevent all "canvassers, hawkers and peddlers" from setting up on town property.

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Drugs Suspected In Teen's Hospitalization Drugs Suspected In Teen's Hospitalization

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Drug use is suspected in the case of a thirteen-year-old Yellowknife girl found unresponsive in her home on Feb. 20.

The teenager had been out with friends the night of Feb. 19, RCMP Sgt. Wayne Norris said. Her parents checked on her in the early morning of Feb. 20 and found her "unresponsive and not breathing."

The RCMP were called at 3:15 a.m. The girl was then taken to Stanton Regional Hospital before being transported to Edmonton. Norris said the RCMP are treating the case as suspicious.

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HAY RIVER - The Town of Hay River is considering seeking a legal opinion on whether it can ban roadside vendors selling drug-related paraphernalia.

Mayor Kelly Schofield suggested the town look into whether it can legally pass such a bylaw.

At the Feb. 8 meeting of council, Schofield explained he wanted to stop the sale of marijuana flags, knives and various drug tools, such as pipes and roach clips.

"We need to try to protect our kids," he said.

Schofield's idea got support from council.

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The Town Of Hay River Is Examining Whether It Can Lawfully Regulate What Can Be Sold Within The Town Limits.

Hay River Mayor Kelly Schofield said the Town's lawyers were contacted earlier this month to examine the matter. The Town's current business license bylaw regulates the licensing of businesses in Hay River, but not the type of business or the merchandise sold by the business. Schofield said he is taking direct aim at vendors who sell knives, marijuana flags and pipes, and other drug paraphernalia. Schofield said he knows there are potential human rights issues with the plan.

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In the article "Judge cracks down on dope dealers" in the Jan. 27 issue of Yellowknifer, in sentencing two people convicted of trafficking in marijuana Judge Bernadette Schmaltz stated that she had to render a serious sentence that would discourage others from taking part in the drug trade.

As common as this fallacious reasoning is, it becomes no more sensible today than it was during the time of alcohol prohibition in the 1920s or in Ottoman Turkey when coffee was prohibited. There has always been a ready supply of any consumer product that is made illegal by a government willing to give a moral judgement the force of law.

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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Two young men will spend several months in jail after unrelated convictions for possessing drugs for the purpose of trafficking, which one lawyer says reflects a move toward longer drug sentences.

"We're seeing the beginning of a trend on the part of the court to impose harsher sentences for trafficking-type offences, including marijuana," said defence lawyer Stephen Shabala, who represented one of the convicted men. "Harsh sentences will deter some people, but at the end of the day, we'll still have some individuals still willing to take the risk and engage in the trade."

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Thirteen Aboriginal students now have the tools to stand up against addictions, thanks to a successfully-completed DARE program at Chief Sunrise Education Centre.

DARE, which stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, is a program used to educate school-aged children about the risks of drugs, alcohol, and other addictions. Taught by the RCMP, the program offers the facts about these vices and provides children with tools that will help them make educated choices when in the face of peer pressure.

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Emrah Bulatci has been found guilty of first-degree murder for the 2007 shooting that resulted in the death of RCMP officer Christopher Worden in Hay River.

Bulatci was sentenced to life in prison with no eligibility of parole for 25 years.

The 25-year-old broke down and cried when the 12-member jury's verdict was read Nov. 19 in Yellowknife Supreme Court.

"The verdict of guilty to first-degree murder allows us some solace as to justice being served for the crime," said RCMP Chief Superintendent Tom Middleton. "It does not, however, lessen the pain of the loss."

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HAY RIVER - In Hay River, there was satisfaction with the guilty verdict levied against Emrah Bulatci, the man who gunned down an RCMP officer in the community last year.

"I'm ecstatic, I'm relieved and I'm happy for our community, the Worden family and the RCMP," said Mayor Kelly Schofield.

The mayor added the verdict was just and the sentence fits the crime.

Schofield said the community is still recovering from being shattered by the murder.

"This closes a chapter, but the book is not over by any means," he said.

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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Emrah Bulatci may be going to prison for at least 25 years but the widow of the RCMP officer he shot two years ago said that won't make up the void he's left in her life, the life of their two-year-old daughter and his family.

Jodie Worden cried as she addressed a packed courtroom Thursday and read two victim impact statements, one she prepared on behalf of their two-year-old daughter.

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Death 'An Unfortunate Event That Changed Our Community for The Better,' Mayor Says

Hay River pastor Vivian Smith does not believe in revenge.

For the most part, she was sad when she learned Emrah Bulatci had been convicted of first-degree murder in the 2007 death of RCMP Const. Christopher Worden. Sad because two families have been destroyed and all because of drugs.

Still, like most of the town's 4,000 residents, she was relieved.

"An innocent man who was upholding the law got killed. A child is without a father, a wife is without a husband, and sometimes justice has to be served. It really does," she said. "Healing is coming.

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YELLOWKNIFE -- An Alberta man was found guilty Thursday of first-degree murder for shooting an RCMP officer four times at close range during a foot chase in the Northwest Territories.

Emrah Bulatci will spend at least 25 years in prison for gunning down Const. Christopher Worden, 30, in Hay River, N.W.T., in 2007.

Worden's widow, Jodie, was in tears before the jury entered court Thursday morning. The constable's family gasped when the verdict was announced. Several wept.

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Two Years After Murder, Town Gathers For Vigil To Honour Slain RCMP Officer

HAY RIVER - Residents in Hay River came together to remember RCMP Const. Christopher Worden last Tuesday night, two years after he was shot and killed while on duty.

More than 50 people gathered as the first sub-zero wind of the season whipped through Hay River.

Meeting at city hall, people handed out candles and spoke in hushed tones.

The vigil proceeded to the RCMP station, where event organizer Kevin Wallington said a prayer and encouraged people to share memories of Worden.

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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Focusing on lowering the spread of HIV and hepatitis C was the main topic of a seminar held in Ndilo this week. The NWT HIV and Hepatitis C Support Network held the workshop on Tuesday in an effort to better inform the community. Instead of trying to force people to quit habits that lead to the spread, the focus was on keeping drug abusers safe from harm.

Trevor Stratton, a Toronto-based aboriginal AIDS activist, spoke at the seminar and gave a personal account of being affected by HIV after his diagnosis in 1990.

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Yellowknife RCMP have prided themselves on being tough on drugs. With that in mind, the slow response from the police earlier this month after a Frame Lake resident reported 97 suspicious baggies littering neighbourhood yards is nothing short of discouraging.

The suggestion from a dispatcher and a staff sergeant that police officers were too busy to show up, especially given it was Super Soccer weekend, isn't adequate.

Building confidence in its police force is essential to a strong community, which in this case has been dealt a blow, at least for the Frame Lake woman who said she feels she was "blown off" by the RCMP. Most police officers are hard working, dedicated professionals. They should be given credit for creating early awareness around the dangerous drug ecstasy, blamed for the deaths of a few teens in Alberta in recent months. Recognizing that drugs which are a problem in Alberta often find their way to the NWT, police were quick to get the word out to the public here last week.

So they have a handle on the "proactive" part, which the RCMP likes to emphasize. Now they have to improve on the responsive end. The next time a call is made about suspected drug paraphernalia, it shouldn't take two days to get a response.

[end]

INUVIK - The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms provides too much protection for crack traffickers and is a shield for criminal enterprise, according to Const. Sean Doornbos of the Inuvik RCMP detachment.

Those comments came on Thursday, a day after the April 8 crack bust where thousands of dollars and an undisclosed quantity of crack were seized from Mountain View Apartments.

The case is still under investigation and RCMP have identified suspects.

Doornbos estimated the crack trade in Inuvik generates $100,000 a week and the problem is serious.

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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - NWT residents may be surprised to know that a needle exchange program has been in place in the territory since 1991.

When asked, neither Frame Lake MLA Wendy Bisaro or Mayor Gordon Van Tighem knew the program existed, though the mayor said he assumed one was likely operating in Yellowknife.

"I know they exist, I know what they're for, and I assumed there was one here," said Van Tighem.

The program is a "harm reduction" measure that allows intravenous drug users access to free needles in an attempt to thwart the spread of transmittable diseases such as hepatitis C and HIV.

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Concerned citizens are rallying against drugs in their community by getting together and facing the issue head on.

Community members are forming a community drug strategy to deal with drugs in the area, after a week of drug awareness workshops in Fort Smith by Detective-retired Steve Walton. He assisted other grassroots efforts in Alberta and thinks this will help stop drugs in the community.

"A drug coalition is an effective step because criminals hate it. It causes them anxiety," he said. "The community becomes a hard target and they will move to a softer target. The impact is a positive step forward. The community is doing the right thing."

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