EXPERTS SET TO UNVEIL PLAN TO FIGHT DRUGS

Phase 1 Of Extensive Strategy Follows Months Of Research; Groups Hail
Coordinated Effort

After months of consultation among community groups, Ottawa is set to
unveil the first stage of a drug and addiction strategy that could be
the most comprehensive of its kind in Canada.

Last summer, Mayor Bob Chiarelli commissioned a group of treatment
providers, researchers and support agencies -- dubbed the Community
Network -- to develop a comprehensive plan to combat drug problems in
Ottawa. The process focused on the main areas of prevention,
treatment, harm reduction and enforcement.

A list of the 10 most pressing issues that have been identified will
be presented tonight at the first of six public consultation meetings
designed to get input from the community before the strategy is
presented to city council in June.

Among the priorities are the dearth of education and treatment
programs for people across different age groups, the increase in
drug-related crimes, difficulties treating people with mental health
and drug problems and a lack of residential drug treatment programs for youth.

George Langill, co-chairman of the Community Network, spent 30 years
as chief executive officer of the Royal Ottawa Hospital before
retiring last year. He said this drug strategy development process is
the most ambitious he's encountered.

"I've never seen an exercise that has been so comprehensive, has got
so much goodwill among the agencies that are involved, and has got
the attention of the municipal government in terms of a priority
within this community," he said.

Rideauwood Addiction and Family Services, police Chief Vince Bevan's
office, the Children's Aid Society, the Centre for Addiction and
Mental Health, and Ottawa Public Health were among those that helped
draft the first phase of the strategy.

Mr. Langill had high praise for the commitment the municipal
government has shown. He said no other Canadian city has undertaken
such an exhaustive process to combat drug problems, but some have
developed strategies to deal with certain components, including
Vancouver's focus on treatment and Toronto's efforts at enforcement.

At this stage, Ottawa's drug strategy is extremely broad and
wide-ranging, even after being whittled down from an initial list of 75 issues.

Mr. Langill says the 10-point overview is intended to be a progress
report to the community, and the city must deal with the
practicalities of which problems to tackle. The point of the public
consultations, he said, is to identify the specific issues of
greatest concern to the community, so resources can be focused accordingly.

Following the public consultations throughout the city, a draft
report will be submitted to the Community Network for approval, and
then they will ask city council to endorse the strategy in June.

Mr. Langill said by that point, they will have a basic plan for
implementing recommendations, and he expects all three levels of
government will help finance the project. Funding specifics will be
laid out in the implementation plan, he said, but many elements will
fall under a specific government umbrella, with the city likely
picking up the tab for law enforcement, and the province covering the
cost of health care initiatives.

Dave Smith, the founder of the youth treatment centre on Bronson
Avenue that bears his name, said a residential drug treatment program
for teens is his first priority. The Dave Smith Youth Treatment
Centre is the only youth drug treatment program in Ottawa, and helps
700 people between 13 and 18 years of age each year. While the day
program is enough for those with less severe addictions, Mr. Smith
said the more troubled cases really need support around the clock.

"At 4:30, we leave the kids back out on the street. There's no
question that a residential (program) for the age bracket that we
serve would be a godsend," he said.

Mr. Smith, the proprietor of Nate's Deli on Rideau Street and a
well-known Ottawa philanthropist, was inspired to start the centre 14
years ago, after being "devastated" by stories of drug and alcohol
problems when he spoke at area high schools.

He is proud of the work the treatment centre has accomplished --
including opening evening programs to parents nearly a decade ago --
but admits the city has a long way to go.

He took part in the initial drug strategy consultations with the
Community Network, and said he will continue lobbying the city for
more youth support services.

Residents can have their say at the following community consultation meetings:

Today: Navan Community Centre, 1295 Colonial Rd., 7 to 9 p.m.

Tomorrow: Session in French, Ecole secondaire publique De La Salle
cafeteria, 501 Old St-Patrick St., 7 to 9 p.m.

Thursday: Jim Durrell Arena, Ellwood Hall, 1265 Walkley Rd., 7 to 9 p.m.

Tuesday, April 25: Tom Brown Arena, Tom Brown Hall, 141 Bayview Rd.,
7 to 9 p.m.

Wednesday, April 26: West Carleton Secondary School cafeteria, 3088
Dunrobin Rd., 7 to 9 p.m.

Thursday, April 27: Greely Community Centre, Hall B (240), 1448
Meadow Dr., 7 to 9 p.m.