JUSTICE OFFICIALS HOT ON THE CASE

Evictions Possible Under Safer Communities And Neighbourhoods
Act

Regina residents charged earlier this week in the latest drug bust in
the city could soon be facing eviction notices under the province's
Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act.

"There is no doubt our investigators are on those cases and working
with the police," said Murray Sawatsky, executive director of the law
enforcement branch with the provincial Justice Department.

The purpose of the Act is to improve community safety by targeting
and, if necessary, shutting down residential and commercial buildings
and land that are habitually used for illegal activities such as:
Child pornography or sexual abuse; prostitution; producing, selling or
using illegal drugs; solvent abuse; or the unlawful sale and
consumption of alcohol.

"This is civil legislation and therefore is not legislation that
policemen would enforce. Justice department enforcement officers do
the investigations and do the eviction orders," Sawatsky said.

"One of the first things our investigators have to do when they get a
complaint is determine whether it falls within the mandate of the unit
. if the complaint involves allegations of illegal
activities."

The investigators then contact the police to see if that particular
house is of interest in a criminal investigation, he said. If police
are investigating the residents at that address for illegal
activities, Sawatsky said, the safer communities enforcement officers
put their investigation on hold to allow police to complete their
criminal investigation.

"If it is an activity like drug trafficking or a grow-operation quite
often our investigators will actually go in with the police or right
after the police and then they will determine the appropriate
action," he said.

That action could be a stern warning to cease and desist the alleged
illegal activity or it could result in an eviction notice.

In 2005 a total of 78 eviction orders was handed out provincewide with
the majority being issued in the larger centres of Saskatoon and
Regina. However, Sawatsky said, eviction notices have been handed out
in smaller cities, and northern and rural communities.

Earlier this month enforcement officers issued their first eviction
notice in Fort Qu'Appelle. Occupants of a Fort Qu'Appelle residence,
who were charged with illegal drug activities, were told to vacate
their property.

Since its inception in November of 2004 the Safer Communities
legislation has been receiving rave reviews, Sawatsky said.

"I think what communities are seeing is that they can take
responsibility for some of the things that are happening in their
neighbourhoods. They can call and something in fact will be done. What
this does is get the activity out of the neighbourhood," Sawatsky
said.