DRUG DEATHS HAVE HUGE IMPACT

Parksville Resident Comes To Nanaimo For First-Hand Look At Troubled South End

Nanaimo's ongoing battle with drugs hit home for Parksville's Patrick
Proudlock.

After reading in the Daily News about a pair of recent drug deaths
and a community's efforts to battle back, Proudlock, 58, toured
Nanaimo's south end on Thursday.

"Nanaimo is close enough to Parksville and I think it's every reason
for concern," said Proudlock. "If (the drug deaths) aren't a wakeup
call to people in this part of the Island, I don't know what is."

Parksville does not experience the extent and range of drug-related
issues compared to Nanaimo, but creating awareness by taking a
proactive stance is about being prepared ahead of time, said
Proudlock, who hopes to share his insight with fellow neighbours.

Longtime Haliburton Street resident Doug Hiltz led Proudlock around
the south end on Thursday, pointing out nuisance properties, picking
up needles and explaining how to keep an eye out for drug-related activity.

Two deaths Monday on south-end Nanaimo streets highlighted the city's
drug problems.

Though police called two apparent overdose deaths in one day
"unusual," it raised even more concern within a community working to rebuild.

On Monday, the body of Angel Dorshia Campbell was discovered along
the sidewalk on Haliburton Street, reported by a passerby around 7:45 a.m.

Several hours later, Ritchie Walter Kirby, 59 was found dead in an
apartment on nearby Farquhar Street. A woman reportedly could not
wake Kirby up after a night of partying. Police do not suspect foul
play in either incident.

Hiltz and his wife Tanya are spearheading the creation of a Block
Watch South End program, which would report suspicious vehicles,
people and activity to police.

Working together to take back the streets is a step in the right
direction, say Nanaimo police.

"We fully support that in the south end," said Nanaimo RCMP spokesman
Const. Gary O'Brien on Thursday. "You have to get the neighbours
saying 'we don't want that.'"

Randy Churchill, city manager of bylaw services, also supports such a program.

"We sure want to encourage it and see it grow," said Churchill. "We
see them as having success."

While Oceanside enjoys its resort-retirement reputation and has
several neighbourhood watch groups, there are a few drug homes
around, said Oceanside RCMP Cpl. Garry Cox.

Cox said Thursday that police are contemplating creating a crimewatch
group made up of downtown Parksville citizens.

Proudlock, who lives in downtown Parksville with his 20-year-old
daughter, called Thursday's tour "a life experience that's good to
have in your pocket."

"For us to sit comfortably in Parksville and think that that's not
us, (Nanaimo is) only 20 to 30 minutes away," he said. "I believe
that when people care, they should not sit back complacently."

Tanya Hiltz said she's pleased with the support the program has
received so far.

"The community's coming alive," she said. "We don't want out streets
to become like Vancouver."

Interested area residents can reach the Hiltzes at cherokee6@shaw.ca.