DRUG COURT MAY BE OPEN BY JANUARY

A drug treatment court for addicts could be operating in Calgary by
January now that a city committee has given its support -- including
$60,000 -- for a two-year pilot program.

Ald. Druh Farrell, who drafted the motion, had asked for $100,000 in
seed money for the court for each of the next two years.

Instead, council's community and protective services committee
decided to ask the mayor to write a letter of support to the province
for the specialized court.

It also approved $10,000 in the first year and another $50,000 in the
second year.

"It's a rounding error; it's almost embarrassing," Farrell said,
noting the city has also organized partnerships with community groups
to leverage enough money to run the program.

Other aldermen were worried the city would remain on the hook for
longer than the initial two years if the court doesn't receive money
from other levels of government.

Although a provincial task force on crystal meth recently recommended
establishing drug courts province-wide, it set no timeline.

Drug courts are generally used to rehabilitate non-violent offenders
who commit crimes to feed their addictions. Instead of going to jail,
eligible offenders participate in court-monitored treatment.

The concept has been successful in many U.S. jurisdictions since the mid-1990s.

While relatively new in Canada, drug courts have been established in
Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.

The court, which will be located in the Salvation Army Centre of
Hope, is slated to open in January.