FANTINO INVITES PM TO T.O. RAVE

Asks Chretien To See 'Kids ... High On Drugs'

Toronto Police Chief Julian Fantino has invited Prime Minister Jean
Chretien to a rave to show him how the drug-filled dances are "threatening
the very fabric of Canadian life."

Fantino said in his letter he will personally escort Chretien to a rave so
he can "see kids, most of them under 16, high on drugs, dancing, and quite
willing to tell the prime minister how safe it is."

Drugs like Ecstasy are putting "Canadian youths at risk and creating a
health and safety emergency that could easily become an epidemic," Fantino
said he wrote in his letter.

"There is a national ignorance on the subject of raves," Toronto's top cop
said. "The government of Canada needs to address the problem and rectify
this frightening situation."

The chief said he took the "unusual step" of writing Chretien the
three-page invitation Tuesday to show the prime minister first-hand that a
national strategy is needed to fight the war on drugs and proliferation of
guns.

"I think this is a reasonable request and it's a request that comes from
the heart," Fantino told reporters yesterday.

"The response I'm expecting is that the prime minister himself take this
issue seriously and attend personally," Fantino said. "I know he is very a
busy person -- as I am -- but I'm willing to adjust my schedule to
accommodate his."

The chief said he will travel to Ottawa to hand-deliver another invitation
if he doesn't get a reply.

"No disrespect to his high office, but any person in a leadership position
needs to be connected with reality ... the kinds of realities we as a
community have to deal with," Fantino said yesterday.

ONE GOAL IN MIND

In his letter, Fantino said he explained to Chretien that rave promoters
have one goal in mind when they post glossy, professionally produced
pamphlets in schools and malls -- to convince kids that drugs are "cool,
safe and a must-do."

Last year, there were nine Ecstasy-related deaths in Ontario.

Bringing together thousands of young people under one roof -- with 80% of
them using drugs -- raves have become a source of huge profits for drug
dealers, who have "an open-field of impressionable minds," Fantino wrote.

He explained that Ecstasy is easily produced from "recipes" on the Internet
for pennies a pill, and sold for up to $45. And the partiers will often buy
two Ecstasy tablets to make it through the 12-hour "marathon of dancing,"
Fantino said.

"With millions of dollars of profits available from our kids, it's easy to
see why organized criminals have gotten involved in raves."

Two raves held recently on the city-owned Exhibition grounds attracted
21,000 young partiers. The two all-nighters ended in 47 arrests, 95
drug-related charges and seizures of Ecstasy, Special K, cocaine, crack,
hashish and marijuana.

Fantino successfully lobbied to have a third rave planned for Halloween
night cancelled.