CONCERN FOR SAFETY OF CHIDREN

Editor:

I have been very fortunate to have been able to visit Castlegar a
number of times over the last four months and have been welcomed by
some wonderful people.

I have been so impressed by your cultural heritage and the natural
beauty that you live amongst, however, there has been one glaring
issue that seems to be affecting a good deal of the "school age"
population, their parents, teachers, members of the public, and civic leaders.

A well known (at least by everyone I have talked to) "crack" house or
"meth" house or simply "drug" house is located at the end of a street
that also has a middle school, a primary school, and your major
secondary school.

This situation seems extremely dangerous to me and it apparently has
been going on for a long time-nobody seems able to take
responsibility for its removal or, at minimum, its "cleaning up".

I know the teachers are frustrated, the RCMP are frustrated and your
local government must be frustrated. My concern as a grandparent,
educator and visitor is that this house and the activities
surrounding it presents a clear and present danger to the children of
Castlegar and it is long overdue to be dealt with. Who will take the
lead in dealing with this very troubling situation?

Castlegar is a beautiful town and it would be a pity if its citizens
could not come together and put an end to this danger.

I believe children are the future and their safety should be a
community priority.

I would hope that those in power move to deal with this issue quickly.

My own community is absolutely not immune from such issues and we are
trying to deal with them as a community on a case by case basis.

I believe this situation is unique because of the proximity of this
house next to your schools and playgrounds. This cries out for a solution.

I wish you well in your efforts to keep your children safe. Yours
truly and in respect,

Mr. G. A. Dore

Kelowna, B.C.