CITIES ASK FOR HELP WITH CRYSTAL METH EPIDEMIC

The Union of B.C. Municipalities unanimously passed a resolution
Wednesday asking the province for more resources and funding to help
local governments address problems related to the street drug crystal meth.

"This is a huge safety issue for our communities," UBCM's incoming
president Marvin Hunt, a Surrey councillor, said in an interview.
"We're asking senior levels of government to come on board with us
and let's get working on solutions because it's just a massive
problem that needs to be addressed and addressed now."

Municipalities cannot solve the problem on their own, Hunt said.

"In many of the areas, we don't have the jurisdiction," he said. "We
need to be working with the senior levels of government to make sure
we have all the legislation in place to deal with it."

For instance, control of the chemicals used in crystal meth labs are
likely beyond municipal control, he said.

The UBCM resolution called on the provincial government for funds and
resources to:

- - Limit access to the supply of over-the-counter ingredients required
to produce the drug.

- - Increase public awareness and education about crystal meth use.

- - Provide assistance to deal with at-risk groups.

- - Provide assistance to treat addiction problems.

- - Provide additional policing and safety inspections required to
ensure the ongoing safety of local communities.

UBCM delegates began raising these issues Wednesday with several
provincial ministers at its convention.

Gordy Robson, a facilitator with the Rotary Club-funded Maple Ridge
Crystal Meth Task Force, is scheduled to speak to UBCM delegates today.

"In our community, we thought we had a homeless problem," Robson
said. "What we discovered when we got to the bottom of it, was it was
95 per cent a crystal meth problem."

"As many as 10 per cent of kids in high school are on the drug," Robson said.

"The provincial government needs to provide immediate funding so
people who are addicted can get service on demand for either detox or
residential rehab," Robson said. "We should be treating this like
they had the bird flu because people are dying. It's an epidemic.
We're losing hundreds of kids every month in B.C."