MR COUNCILLOR WANTS DRUG LAWS CHANGED

After the top law-enforcement minds applied their expertise to the
drug wars laying siege to the Lower Mainland, Maple Ridge council
followed suit Monday.

The B.C. government Friday announced, among other measures, another
168 more cops and 10 more prosecutors as part of its efforts to snuff
out the shooting spree that's claimed half a dozen lives in the past
two weeks, including the mother of four-year-old boy Tuesday.

Armoured vehicles will be outlawed and there will be a crackdown on
illegal guns.

Mayor Ernie Daykin told council that senior governments are spending
$60 million on the issue, $53-million of which will come from the
federal government.

"Hopefully, it will make a difference and we'll see some headway.

"Local resources aren't going to be affected. This is going to
enhance what's out there."

Coun. Linda King said all the steps made sense. "But we don't have
provincial police. We don't have the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police)
or QPP (Quebec Provincial Police.)"

Coun. Cheryl Ashlie appreciated the response to the issue, but said
money should be spent on programs that can teach kids how to avoid
drug use in the first place.

Every dollar invested in teen and drug prevention programs has
multiple payoffs years later in producing young adults who can be
resilient to the temptations of drug use.

The B.C. government also announced a legal assault on organized crime.

Attorney Gen. Wally Oppal was headed to Ottawa this week to lobby for
changes to bail conditions.

"If you use a gun while committing a crime, you shouldn't get bail.
We want an end to 2-for-1 credit for time served. And we need a
modern wiretap regulation that recognizes new technologies like cell
phones and other devices," he said in a release.

Some of the weapons on the street may be coming from the movie
business, said Coun. Judy Dueck, referring to recent reports.

Coun. Craig Speirs, though, said the way to hurt gangs is through the
pocket book. It's time to look at what gives criminal gangs their
strength, which is the money they make off the drug trade.

And that means discussing the decriminalization of drugs.

"I think we have to have that discussion at the front end. Until we
do that, we're just going to dance around the edges. I don't think we
stand a chance, quite frankly."

The government also announced it was spending $185 million to build
another 304 jail cells that will be able to hold more than 600
offenders. Those include 104 new cells at the Alouette Correctional
Centre for Women in Maple Ridge and the 50 new cells that have
recently been completed at Fraser Regional Correctional Centre.

According to the release, the additional capacity will ensure no
criminals or suspects are released because of space constraints.