DRUG TASK FORCE HIRES CONSULTANT

Looking to develop new addiction programming and services and enhance
those that already exist, Oxford County's drug task force has hired a
consultant to help assess needs, develop strategy and access funding.

Formed eight months ago, the task force is a collaboration of
community agencies. It grew out of an inter-ministerial and cross
sector justice committee convened to educate and mobilize the
community in crime prevention and building a safer community.

The task force has received a total of $22,000 in start up funding
from the United Way of Oxford, the Oxford Small Business Support
Centre, the Town of Ingersoll and the City of Woodstock. It's
spending about $18,000 on a consultant to determine where it should
focus its efforts.

On Tuesday, about 25 people, including politicians, educators,
healthcare workers, Children's Aid Society representatives and
police, turned out for a consultant information session at the Fusion
Youth Centre in Ingersoll.

"Oxford County is seeing a number of substance abuse and
addiction-related incidents through various agencies with little
services and funding available to us to assist those in need," said
Jason Smith, chair of the task force. "We feel that hiring a
consultant will provide us with the details funders are looking for
in funding projects of this kind."

Smith said the consultant is tasked with three main objectives
including completing a needs assessment for the county, developing a
strategic plan for the task force and writing funding applications.
The process is expected to take about six months.

Information will be gathered through interviews with people serving
clients with substance abuse and addiction problems, focus groups
with clients and service providers and a survey.

"We will gather data," Smith said. "Hopefully, that way we're going
to do our best to get it right across Oxford County."

Once the data is gathered and compiled, the consultant will present
the findings in communities around the county.

In the meantime, the task force is compiling a list of programs and
services that are available now and distributing it to its members.

There was "great passion and enthusiasm" around the table during
Tuesday's session, said Linda Sibley, executive director of Addiction
Services of Thames Valley, who was one of the participants.

Providing substance abuse and problem gambling services for ages 12
and up since 1985, the agency has the equivalent of 1.25 full-time
staff in Oxford County and Sibley said the demand far outstrips the resources.

"The problem we have is staffing," she said. "It's a human resource
issue. We just don't have the staff."

Sibley pointed out that problem gambling is a critical issue among
youth in Ontario at the moment. The rate of problem gambling among
youth in the province is three times that of adults, she said.

Oxford is no better or no worse than the rest of the country when it
comes to drugs, Sibley said.

"There's no greater drug crisis in Oxford County than there is in any
other area of Canada," she said. "I think if we had four or five
full-time equivalents (in Oxford) we'd probably be very well served."

Sibley said she supports the efforts of the task force and it is on
the right track. Coordination among the various agencies and groups
involved is key, she said.

"We really need to get the paperwork done quickly. We need to
mobilize. We need to speak to the people with influence at Queen's
Park," she said.