PLECAS APPOINTED TO THREE YEARS WITH CENTRE ON SUBSTANCE
ABUSE

UCFV professor Darryl Plecas has been appointed to a three-year term
on the board of directors of the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse,
federal minister of health, Tony Clement, announced Tuesday.

"The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse is an important part of this
government's work to create a healthy and safe society free of the
harms associated with addiction," said Clement. "With his diverse
experience in the field of criminology, I am confident Dr. Plecas
will be a valuable addition to the CCSA, and in this role will
contribute to the Board's mandate of helping reduce the health,
social and economic harm associated with substance abuse and addictions."

Plecas holds the RCMP University Research Chair in the School of
Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University College of the
Fraser Valley, where he has worked as a professor for 26 years. He
served as chair of the department from 1984 to 1995, and again from
2002 to 2005.

He was awarded the university's Teaching Excellence Award in 2001.
Dr. Plecas served as an Expert Observer to the 10th United Nations
Congress on the Prevention and Treatment of Offenders in 2000 and
participated in three annual meetings of the United Nations
Scientific and Professional Advisory Committee. He was the recipient
of the Lieutenant Governor's Award for Public Safety in 2005.

Plecas holds two degrees in criminology from Simon Fraser University.
He received a doctorate in Higher Education from the University of
British Columbia and completed the Management Development Programme
in the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University.

The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse is Canada's national
addictions agency and is supported by Health Canada through Canada's
Drug Strategy.

Established by an Act of Parliament in 1988, CCSA provides objective,
evidence based information and advice aimed at reducing the health,
social and economic harm associated with substance abused and addictions.