Editor: The article entitled "Province won't help Summerside put police officer in high school"( The Guardian, Jan. 22) was disappointing not only because I see it as a short-sighted rejection, but also because of the shallow offhand comments made by Justice Minister Janice Sherry in defending the decision. In essence Minister Sherry's statement portrays a system composed of youth justice workers, outreach workers and police liaison officers who are assigned to work with specific persons at schools when support is called for or needed. Sounds great, but when examined, is rather nebulous to say the least. [continues 256 words]
Charlottetown cannot say no to any proposal that might come its way concerning construction of a medical marijuana facility, a public meeting heard. City council turned out in full Wednesday for a public meeting hosted by the planning and heritage committee to look at three issues. While the meeting began with standing room only from a crowd estimated at 100, most left after discussion of zoning changes for an expansion of Mel's Quick Mart on St. Peter's Road, and changes to allow the new horse barn at the Charlottetown Driving Park. [continues 447 words]
Charlottetown cannot say no to any proposal that might come its way concerning construction of a medical marijuana facility, a public meeting heard. City council turned out in full Wednesday for a public meeting hosted by the planning and heritage committee to look at three issues. While the meeting began with standing room only from a crowd estimated at 100, most left after discussion of zoning changes for an expansion of Mel's Quick Mart on St. Peter's Road, and changes to allow the new horse barn at the Charlottetown Driving Park. [continues 611 words]
CHARLOTTETOWN - Residents in Charlottetown are going to have their say on the medical marijuana issue next week. The City of Charlottetown has scheduled a public meeting for Wednesday, Jan. 29 to hear comments on that issue as well as a rezoning application from Mel's Petro Can on St. Peters Road and the addition of a new horse barn at the Charlottetown Driving Park. The meeting takes place in the Georgian Room at the Rodd Charlottetown Hotel on Kent Street, beginning at 7 p.m. [continues 290 words]
Charlottetown Public Session On Wednesday Residents in Charlottetown are going to have their say on the medical marijuana issue next week. The City of Charlottetown has scheduled a public meeting for Wednesday, Jan. 29, to hear comments on that issue as well as a rezoning application from Mel's Petro Can on St. Peters Road and the addition of a new horse barn at the Charlottetown Driving Park. The meeting takes place in the Georgian Room at the Rodd Charlottetown Hotel on Kent Street, beginning at 7 p. m. [continues 423 words]
Council Makes Unexpected Motion To Seek Public Input On Amendment There is no truth to the rumour ( started here) that Charlottetown city council is considering a motto change from ' Cunabula Foederis' (literally Cradle of the Federation but officially translated as Birthplace of Confederation) to ' Cannabis Foederis.' It just wouldn't be appropriate in this 150th anniversary year of the Charlottetown Conference which led to the creation of the Dominion of Canada. Seriously, the city is wise to get in front of the legal production of medical marijuana issue. The recent controversy swirling nationally about decriminalizing or legalizing marijuana has made it a hot topic. But there was the normally cautious chair of planning, Rob Lantz, bringing the issue to the floor and getting a 9- 0 vote in support of a motion to proceed to public consultations on amending the city's bylaw to allow for the construction of such a facility. [continues 271 words]
Editor: I am opposed to increasing the methadone treatment here on P. E. I. I appeared before a government committee on prescription drugs and demanded a provincial ombudsman investigate babies born hooked on methadone. I challenged the erroneous statement that a person on methadone is drug free. If a person on methadone was drug free then babies wouldn't be born hooked on methadone. The Ghiz government has inspectors to investigate the over- prescribing of prescription drugs but no inspector to investigate prescribing methadone during pregnancies. Babies born hooked on methadone are simply irrelevant. I had called for the closure of both the Hillsborough Hospital and Mount Herbert and build a youth addiction facility. Drug addicts will be able to trade an illegal addiction for a legal addiction and be on methadone for years. I am writing a complaint to the P. E. I. Auditor General to investigate taxpayers paying to treat babies born hooked on methadone and doctors prescribing methadone for more than two years. John W. A. Curtis, Summerside [end]
City Considers Adding Definition To Bylaw In Event Of Building Application The City of Charlottetown may be paving the way for the province's first medical marijuana production facility. Council voted unanimously (9- 0, Coun. Eddie Rice was not present for the vote) to proceed to the public consultation phase to consider an amendment to the city's zoning and development bylaw. Such an amendment would add a definition for medical marijuana production facility. The resolution also stipulated that a medical marijuana production facility could only be built in a heavy industrial zone or a business park industrial zone, such as the bio-commons park in the former neighbourhood of West Royalty. [continues 480 words]
When Justin Trudeau dove into the legalized marijuana debate last summer, it initially looked like an unnecessarily polarizing position that too easily allowed his opponents to depict him as a lightweight unable to grapple with more pressing issues. The Liberal leader still surely doesn't want to get freighted down by his pot ponderings, and it is never going to become the centrepiece of a party platform. But there is a case to be made that it will be an issue that can move votes in 2015. [continues 677 words]
When Justin Trudeau dove into the legalized marijuana debate last summer, it initially looked like an unnecessarily polarizing position that too easily allowed his opponents to depict him as a lightweight unable to grapple with more pressing issues. The Liberal leader still surely doesn't want to get freighted down by his pot ponderings, and it is never going to become the centrepiece of a party platform. But there is a case to be made that it will be an issue that can move votes in 2015. [continues 678 words]
The Prince Edward Island Student Drug Use Report released in late December contains some encouraging data, especially that alcohol use among youths has decreased significantly. The report, covering the years 2004- 2011, also suggests there is a continued decline in tobacco use while other drug uses remain consistent. The report is a tool to provide the province with data on alcohol and drug use among Island youths and helps shape the provincial strategy on addictions and mental health. The survey uses data from a youth smoking survey and outlines use and trends involving tobacco, alcohol, marijuana and other drug use among Island students in grades 6- 12. [continues 158 words]
Almost daily, the media is reporting crimes fuelled by drug addiction or reading court reports of someone who is in trouble with the law because of their drug use. One recent report is all the more shocking. Just last month, Prince District Joint Forces Operation Drug Unit arrested a 17-year-old Three Oaks student for drug trafficking as he was entering the Summerside school. The arrest was the result of tips from the community that the teen had been selling drugs both in and outside the school. On the young man, police found 2.5 ounces of marijuana, a digital scale, cash, cellphone and packaging supplies. He now faces drug-trafficking charges and a potential two-year prison sentence. [continues 333 words]
SUMMERSIDE - A student arrested for drug trafficking at a Summerside school is a not an issue for the English Language School Board to comment on, says board superintendent Cynthia Fleet. In November, a 17- year old city teen was arrested inside Three Oaks Senior High School, found with 2.5 ounces of marijuana and other drug paraphernalia. He now faces drug-trafficking charges and a potential two-year prison sentence. During the arrest, police seized pre-packaged marijuana and the drug in bulk, along with a digital scale used to weigh the drug, cash, cellphone and packaging supplies. [continues 257 words]
SUMMERSIDE - A student arrested for drug trafficking at a Summerside school is not an issue for the English Language School Board to comment on, said superintendent Cynthia Fleet. In November, a 17-year old city teen was arrested inside Three Oaks Senior High School, found with 2.5 ounces of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. He now faces drug-trafficking charges and a potential two-year prison sentence. During the arrest, police seized prepackaged marijuana and the drug in bulk, along with a digital scale used to weigh the drug, cash, cellphone and packaging supplies. [continues 330 words]
P. E. I..' s Federal Cabinet Minister Criticizes Liberal MPs' Support of Legalization As politicians around the country are being asked if they ever smoked marijuana, P. E. I.' s only representative in cabinet says she has never tried it. Fisheries Minister Gail Shea was responding to questions from the media after she released a statement Monday morning in which she criticized the Island's Liberal MPs for supporting Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau's stance on marijuana legalization. The statement was a rare criticism of her fellow Island MPs from a cabinet minister who usually stays away from personal attacks on politicians from the opposition parties. [continues 316 words]
Gail Shea says she has never smoked marijuana. As politicians around the country are being asked if they ever smoked marijuana, P.E.I.'s only representative in cabinet says she has never tried it. Fisheries Minister Gail Shea was responding to questions from the media after she released a statement Monday morning in which she criticized the Island's Liberal MPs for supporting Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau's stance on marijuana legalization. The statement was a rare criticism of her fellow Island MPs from a cabinet minister who usually stays away from personal attacks on politicians from the opposition parties. [continues 317 words]
Justin Trudeau's pot gambit is a calculated and rather clever move. The Liberal leader's revelation that he smoked dope as a sitting MP earned him an expected scolding from the governing Conservatives. But that, surely, was Trudeau's aim. The unexpected decision to highlight marijuana laws is also eerily similar to a strategy that allowed Trudeau's father, Pierre, to be Canada's prime minister for 15 years. In his attempt to outpace Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Justin Trudeau has little manoeuvring room. On the economy, the Liberal leader's position differs little from that of Harper. Like the prime minister, Trudeau sees pipelines, resource development and free trade as the keys to Canada's future. [continues 541 words]
DUNDAS - The prohibition of marijuana will eventually come to an end much like the rum in the hold of the Nellie J. Banks, suggests Cardigan MP Lawrence MacAulay. "It will take it out of the hands of criminals and put it in the hands of government like a bottle of rum," said the Island MP during a visit to the Dundas Plow Match here Friday. "Today, it seems to be available anywhere you go." MacAulay was responding to comments by Liberal leader Justin Trudeau this week that marijuana should be decriminalized and brought into the fold of government controls much like alcohol is currently distributed. The Nellie J. Banks was a famous P.E.I. rum running ship that smuggled spirits from St. Pierre-Miquelon during prohibition in the 1930s. [continues 206 words]
I was confused. The Mount Allison hockey team was on the ice against Universite de Moncton and things were growing rougher by the minute. Fight after fight had broken out. A bench-clearing brawl seemed certain. The violence overwhelmed me. Why couldn't they all just get along? There was only one solution. I turned away from the ice and headed to the canteen. I needed a hot dog. "What would you like on it," said the guy behind the counter. [continues 558 words]
It's an idea that is long overdue. Earlier this week, the City of Charlottetown announced it was reinstating funding to place police officers in Charlottetown Rural and Colonel Gray high schools on a full-time basis from Sept. 3 to Nov. 8. After that, the officers will return on an interim basis, spending about four hours a week for the remainder of the first school term. The program is designed to help improve the school climate dealing with drugs, bullying property damage and mischief. [continues 365 words]
Inside Prince Edward Island
