FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES $3.2 MILLION IN FUNDING FOR DRUG AND ALCOHOL
TREATMENT

VICTORIA (CP) - Federal Health Minister Allan Rock on Saturday announced a
$3.2 million funding boost for alcohol and drug treatment for British
Columbia.

The announcement was made at a press conference a block from where the
murdered body of a known alcoholic woman was found a day earlier.

Crystal Martin, who lived on the street, was known to panhandle to support
her drinking habit.

The funding, co-announced by Victoria member of parliament David Anderson,
will go to the provincial government over two years.

"They promise to use it for community efforts to deal with alcohol and drug
addiction programs for treatment, counselling or family intervention," said
Rock.

"The money will be well spent."

The health minister also pledged $150,000 to the Fetal Alcohol
Syndrome/Effects Support Network of B.C.

Rock described fetal alcohol syndrome as an invisible epidemic because "you
can't tell by looking what happens when an expectant mother consumes alcohol."

He said the support network had done wonderful work identifying people who
have the syndrome, training people to work with those who have it and
helping the public understand why so many people - kids branded
unteachable, adults who can't hold a job - fit that profile.

Sandi Berg of the FAS/E Network said the money would be used in communities
across Canada to teach people about fetal alcohol syndrome. It will also be
used to develop a national manual on community caring.

Anderson also announced a $30,000 grant to the Health Association of B.C.
to begin researching and measuring the health of people in coastal and
aboriginal communities.

"We're going to look at the coastal communities and the way in which they
have been affected by the changing economic climate.

"We're trying to get a better idea specifically and try to determine how
recent economic events have affected their health," Anderson said.

Coastal communities have seen a plunge in fishing and forestry jobs and the
related social problems of a despondent, frustrated work force.