MUNTER TALKS TOUGH ON CRIME AS ELECTION LOOMS

Police would be directed to crack down on crystal meth producers if
Alex Munter becomes mayor, the candidate said yesterday in unveiling
his crime and safety plan for Ottawa.

Munter has spoken with city police who advise him the drug is making
its way from out west to Ottawa and is becoming a problem. The
mayoral candidate's plan calls for "get tough" measures that include
raids on suspected meth labs, similar to those executed against
marijuana grow-ops.

"This drug is destroying the lives of youth across Canada," Munter
said yesterday in presenting his sixpoint plan.

"In some cities, its use has reached crisis proportions. If we're
going to stop that from happening in Ottawa, we need to act now."

While declining to wade into the mayoral debate, Ottawa drug
enforcement officer Staff Sgt. Marc Pinault said yesterday that the
highly addictive drug is already a "problem here" -- but not always
in the form everyone thinks.

Some chemical tests on ecstasy confiscated by police recently are
"coming back as methamphetamine not MDNA," said Pinault, of Ottawa
Police's drug unit.

He said meth is being sold to users who believe they are buying
ecstasy. When the drugs wear off, the after-effects can be much more severe.