MLA'S TO WORK FOR SAFE COMMUNITIES LEGISLATION

Tyler Ducharme hopes the stories told by those who have to live near
Northumberland Court may have sunk in to the politicians and that
maybe in a few months there will be a new law and another tool with
which to tackle dope dealing and the crime that usually accompanies
it.

"I'm hoping it really got through to both MLAs, the gravity of the
situation," Ducharme said Tuesday following Monday's meeting organized
by the Maple Ridge Coalition of Concerned Citizens.

Ducharme and his group are pressing for Safe Communities and
Neighbourhoods legislation to give them another way to clean up
neighbourhoods and asked NDP MLA Michael Sather and Liberal MLA Marc
Dalton to the meeting so they could hear the stories of a few
residents who live near the complex at the foot of Fraser Street.

One woman told of how she had to explain to her young daughter after
seeing a disgruntled john drive his truck toward a sex trade worker.

Another woman told of being pestered constantly by street people or
drug addicts any time she takes a relative to the doctor.

It was enough to persuade Dalton (Maple Ridge-Mission) to take up the
cause. He plans on reviewing similar legislation that was brought
forward by the NDP in the last legislature, then talk to his
colleagues, in particular Sol. Gen. Kash Heed and Attorney Gen. Mike
de Jong, and if necessary, the NDP.

Dalton also wants to review SCAN legislation in Alberta, Manitoba and
Nova Scotia, which already have such laws that allow neighbours or
groups concerned about safety to ask the government to order the
closure of drug houses or other such buildings.

Usually the attorney general ministry issues the order to close down a
building, which is done on a civil rather than criminal basis,
Ducharme explained earlier.

He said the key is to get the support of both parties so the issue
doesn't get stuck in partisan debate.

Dalton said he wouldn't be averse to working with NDP MLA Sather if
that's how it unfolds.

"I'm open to that. That may be the route to go in the future and I
need a little bit of time for that."

He said it was troubling to hear people's stories and wanted to see
Northumberland cleaned up.

"I want to do all I can to see our community safer."

Sather, who was also at the meeting, said it's an issue on which both
parties can agree. "I don't see it as a partisan issue either."

Hopefully both parties can move forward on it, he added.

Sather was worried about reports of high school students visiting
Northumberland to buy drugs. "It's a real concern."

Ducharme, though, wanted to qualify such a statement.

"You're seeing more and more young people approach Northumberland that
don't live there. You can surmise why they're going down there," he
said.

"I would say it was a positive meeting.

He added that people were upset, but there was no rancour and most
agreed something had to be done.

"If we keep it non-partisan, there's a very real chance it could
happen," he said.

Maple Ridge district has been trying for years to clean up
Northumberland Court and council recently passed a resolution
authorizing it to do the safety repairs on 10 suites owned by Jack
Athwal and to send him the bill.