TEENAGE TOKE MAY BURN MAN'S CANADIAN DREAMS

A British computer programmer says his moment of candour about a
youthful dalliance with marijuana is putting his dream of living in
Canada in jeopardy.

Chris Tarttelin says he's been ordered by Citizenship and Immigration
Canada to undergo a psychiatric evaluation to make sure he's not
suffering any lingering effects from having tried cannabis when he was
18.

If he fails to get a psychiatric assessment by Sept. 12, he says, it
could block his application to immigrate.

"You can't see a psychiatrist in Saskatoon in that time frame," said
Tarttelin, 37, who has an appointment with a specialist on Sept. 20.

"I'm a painfully honest person. It doesn't normally occur to me to
answer questions any other way."

Tarttelin moved to Saskatoon in October 2008, with his wife and two
children, after having been recruited by Point2 Technologies under the
Saskatchewan Immigration Nominee Program. His family's immigration
application is being processed at the Canadian Embassy in London.

In June, Tarttelin attended a mandatory medical examination conducted
by a family doctor approved by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. The
doctor has a checklist that included a question about drug use.

"I tried pot but didn't really take to it particularly. I tried it a
couple of times but that was about it," Tarttelin recalled telling the
doctor.

Tarttelin said that in July he received a letter from Citizenship and
Immigration Canada directing him back to the doctor. The doctor told
him he had 60 days to submit to a psychiatric exam.

Tarttelin and his family are packing their bags. He is worried that he
will miss his deadline and frustrated that Citizenship and Immigration
Canada said he can't apply for an extension until just before the deadline.

"We're going to move back to the U.K until we get further along in the
process," said Tarttelin.

"There's a real feeling of vulnerability. In the back of my mind is
the thought that if my residency application is rejected, I don't
really want to be in a position of having to pack up and leave the
country in a hurry. In order to stop feeling vulnerable, we've decided
to move back on our own terms."

He acknowledges that smoking marijuana is against the law, but wonders
why that should potentially disqualify someone from immigrating to
Canada when so many Canadian citizens also smoke it.

"The bar is set very high," he said.

A spokesperson for Citizenship and Immigration Canada confirmed that
Tarttelin's smoking of marijuana 19 years ago triggered the request
for the psychiatric assessment.

"I see nothing on the file on the notes that I've reviewed to indicate
there's been a past history of any mental problems," said Chris
Gelineau, area director in Saskatchewan for Citizenship and
Immigration Canada.

Applicants are inadmissible to Canada if they have a health condition
that might put the public health or the safety of Canadians in danger
or if they have a health condition that might put excessive demand on
health or social services.

"We do not have a policy on medical refusals based on past use of
marijuana," said Gelineau.

A spokesperson for the Saskatchewan government said smoking pot 20
years ago is not grounds for refusing an application for permanent
residency.

"Without commenting on the specifics of any case, it doesn't sound
like that would be typical," said Chris Jones-Bonk of the provincial
Ministry of Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration.