CITY MAYOR TO TESTIFY BEFORE SENATE ON DRUG OFFENCE
SENTENCING

Drug offences are high on the agenda for Langley City's
mayor.

Peter Fassbender has been asked to testify in front of a Senate
committee on Bill C-15, which calls for mandatory minimum sentences
for drug-related crimes.

When he flies to Ottawa this week, his message will be that the Senate
should waste no time in passing the bill, Fassbender told council at
Monday night's meeting.

As to why he's been invited to speak, Fassbender isn't entirely
certain, but he's happy to be asked.

"I was thrilled they phoned me, but it was out of the blue," he
said.

"I've been very outspoken on the issue," he added.

Several months ago, Fassbender was also a witness, along with Surrey
mayor Diane Watts and Delta's Lois Jackson, in front of a
Parliamentary committee on the issue, he said.

Fassbender has discussed the problem at length with other Metro
Vancouver mayors, the RCMP and a UCFV criminology professor. All agree
the legislation is overdue, said Fassbender.

"The clear position is that there should be minimum mandatory
sentences for people with marijuana grow operations and clandestine
meth labs," said Fassbender.

The bill is not aimed at people who keep a marijuana plant hidden away
for their own use, he said, but the criminals whose sole purpose is to
produce illegal drugs for sale across the U.S./Canada border.

"Organized crime has no respect for the community," he said. "It's
pretty straight forward, if you do the crime, you should do the time."