RAVE DEPRAVED?

Drugs, topless cartoon character on flyer

Organizers of tonight's huge rave at a venue owned by the City of Toronto
have been promoting the party at area schools with slick ads featuring drugs
and a topless cartoon character.

"They obviously look like pills and I presume they're not Aspirin or
Tylenol," Councillor Joe Pantalone said of the pamphlets promoting the event
at the Better Living Centre on the CNE grounds.

"This marketing tool concerns me," said Pantalone, who is also chairman of
Exhibition Place. "It should not be so clearly: 'Come and get your Ecstasy
pills.' "

Tonight's Easter Long Weekend Rave, put on by Goin' Deep Productions,
features 24 live DJs and performers and will run from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.

Goin' Deep Productions could not be reached for comment yesterday. The party
is being marketed as far away as New Jersey and Michigan.

The rave, with tickets priced at $35-$40 each, is not selling as well as
last month's party, Pantalone said.

Pantalone said he wished he could have done something about the suggestive
advertising in the 12-page pamphlet, but by the time they saw the artwork it
was too late.

"We have not tried to control the marketing in the past but we should look
at it in the future," he said.

The pamphlets do note on the back page that there's zero tolerance for drugs
at the party.

Tonight's rave comes four weeks after 19 people were arrested by police for
trafficking or possessing Ecstasy and other drugs at the Better Living
Centre.

Eric Conroy, an adviser to the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police drug
abuse committee, was stunned by the pamphlets.

"I was absolutely blown away by this flyer," said Conroy, who is also
publisher of The Magazine - Not for Adults, distributed by police officers
across Canada. "They're promoting drugs to kids in schools.

"The City of Toronto is behind it" by allowing a rave at one of its
facilities, Conroy charged. "Why wouldn't kids think Ecstasy is safe?"

Conroy and Pantalone said they are worried that kids do not know the harm
Ecstasy can cause and there's no program in the schools to inform them about
the drug.

"Kids are told Ecstasy is fine as long as they stay away from alcohol and
drink lots of water," Conroy said. "That's not true."

Pantalone agreed.

"The image of Ecstasy seems to be a joy ride without effect," he said. "From
what I've read that doesn't seem to be the case."

FANTINO OPPOSED

Toronto Police Chief Julian Fantino told a community meeting at Exhibition
Place on Thursday he doesn't like raves, but they are a legal business.

He said he believes raves are "targeted by drug dealers."

"We have no control over the issuing of permits but we can have control over
policing as a condition of the permit," he said.

Despite the arrests, the last rave -- which saw 12,000 kids partying
overnight -- had no noise complaints, and police, ambulance and security
personnel were on hand.

"If these things have to occur, there's no more ideal place," Pantalone
said, noting prohibiting the events will not work in a city with 50,000
ravers and parties being held every weekend.