ANTI-DRUG PROJECT GETS FUNDING BOOST

The federal government announced Friday it is supporting a project to
help prevent youth from using illicit drugs.

The Resiliency Project is spearheaded by the Haliburton, Kawartha,
Pine Ridge (HKPR) District Health Unit.

"The Government of Canada is taking concrete steps to help prevent
young people from taking drugs," Northumberland-Quinte West MP Rick
Norlock said on behalf of Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq during
Friday's announcement at Rebound Child and Youth Services
Northumberland in Cobourg.

Norlock presented a cheque for $284,308 to the health unit to kick off
The Resiliency Project, which is designed to implement and promote
activities aimed at preventing drug use among youth in Northumberland
County, Haliburton County and the City of Kawartha Lakes.

The money, from the government's Drug Strategy Initiatives Fund, will
be used over the next 29 months.

"The project partners will recruit young people to participate in
youth council, and members of the council will be trained to counsel
their peers and provide them with the options of healthier life
choices," Norlock said.

The former Ontario Provincial Police officer added that drugs are
"absolutely" a problem in this area.

"Not only the amount of drugs, but the kind of drugs," he said. "Some
of them only take two or three uses before you become addicted."

Norlock said the chief of the Ottawa Police Department told him people
who are addicted to drugs commit eight times the number of crimes than
those who are not addicted.

"This program is designed to dissuade you from beginning to take drugs
and for those who are in the early stages, or addicted to drugs at
least lead them away from the usage of drugs which in and of itself
tends to in many cases leads to other antisocial issues and crime," he
said.

"Now that drugs are in our primary schools, we have to do something
about it and today's announcement is exactly that.

"This is, to me, one of the most important pieces of the puzzle of how
you remove drugs from a community."

The anonymous Ontario Drug Student Survey includes students from Grade
7 and into high schools.

It revealed some students are using drugs in the fifth grade and
up.

The Eastern Region, which includes City of Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton
and Northumberland County, showed an increase in Oxy- Contin and
tranquilizers, where the Toronto area had a decline in drug use.

Rebound executive director Nicola Crow said the project will "be a
fantastic opportunity, not only for the communities but also for the
youth in all three counties.

"The key thing is the involvement of youth engaging youth. Youth in
our community are our priority. We want to see them succeed and reach
their fullest potential."

The health unit worked in partnership with Rebound Child and Youth
Services Northumberland, The Boys and Girls Club of Kawartha Lakes and
the Haliburton Highland's Family Health team to develop The Resiliency
Project. The project also includes Point In Time Youth Services of
Haliburton County, Northumberland Drug Action Committee, Kawartha
Lakes Drug Action Committee, Haliburton Drug Action Committee, the
HKPR District Health Unit and the United Way.

Health unit project co-ordinator Bridgette McFarthing said she hopes
the project will last three years.

"We're hiring youth in the fall once we lay our foundation," she
said.

"It's bringing together five agencies, three networks, reaching out to
youth and then youth starting up and coming together -- so that takes
a bit of time."