POLICE SAY RAVES ARE NOT JUST A TORONTO PROBLEM

While raves are not a local policing problem, strictly speaking, the fact
that area youth attend all-night dance parties in other jurisdictions
remains of deep concern to Halton's police chief.

"They're our kids and we don't want to lose any of them," said Ean Algar.

A recent report by Dr. Robert Nosal, Halton's Medical Officer of Health,
justifies Algar's fears by pointing out the potential dangers of raves
which range from crowd control to fire hazards. Dr. Nosal concedes that
while not all attendees take drugs to enhance the rave experience, other
pitfalls they may encounter include dehydration and the lack of water,
inadequate ventilation, gang related violence and the potential for
physical and sexual assault.

"This is a problem that's under the surface in most communities," said
Services Board chair Jack Brewer.

Rather than wring their hands helplessly over the issue, however, Halton
Regional Police and the Health Department, plus both local school boards,
are partnering to implement a strategy to deal with raves.

"As a community we need to use a series of approaches to target youth and
the adults that work with youth," said Dr. Nosal.

The issue of raves was front and centre at Thursday's Halton Regional
Police Service Board meeting where member Donald Robinson said that, while
the problem will be hard to deal with, doing nothing is not an option.

"I think that's burying your head in the sand," said Robinson, who
maintains that a proactive approach is a must.

To that end, Robinson will soon be attending the Saskatoon conference of
the Canadian Police Boards Association (of which he's a member) where he
plans to share Halton's unique approach to raves - the first part which is
an education campaign aimed especially at parents.

"They should know what's going on," he said.

Added Services Board member John Day: "It's all about public education. If
we're going to do it, let's do it."

Robinson's commitment to bring solutions to a national level received full
backing from the Services Board.

"You'll get our complete support," said Brewer, who plans to be part of a
Board contingent attending a Toronto rave this summer. "We're trying to
lead the way and be proactive."

Halton Regional Police Supt. Dan Okuloski agreed wholeheartedly with
Robinson and said that while there has been an emphasis on enforcement and
drugs, a comprehensive "community mobilization" strategy is needed.

According to Dr. Nosal, the communication plan aimed at both youth and
parents involves working closely with area media, providing links on the
Health Department website with appropriate information, working with local
agencies on everything from drugs to peer pressure, holding discussions
with appropriate politicians and much more.

Already available is a flyer entitled "Do Your Kids Rave?" Aimed at adults
- - but containing valuable information for their children - this covers
safety questions parents can ask their kids about social events and offers
suggestions such as encouraging them to drink plenty of water and to stay
away from drugs.

Anyone with questions about raves can contact the Health Department at
825-6060 ext. 7490.