SYRINGES IRK YENNADON MUM

Rachel Chalmers lives in a "nice residential area."

Her Yennadon house is shaded under tall trees.

The neighbouring lawns are well-kept and cows graze lazily in a
paddock nearby.

But on Wednesday, Chalmers, a young mother, had a rude
awakening.

"I found needles in the ditches," she said.

"It is the first time I've seen one directly in front of my
house."

Chalmers has noticed an increase in suspicious activity on 128 Avenue
in the last four to six weeks.

"There are kids using drugs in the area. That's the most terrible
thing, that these are not adults doing this," Chalmers noted.

"The problem is getting so big that it's moving," away from the
downtown.

Maple Ridge mayor Gordon Robson suggests the problem has always been
there.

"Welcome to the learning curve on crystal meth," Robson exclaimed. "
It is all over the community. There are needles in Whonnock, there are
needles in Hammond and there are even needles in Pitt Meadows."

Canada's crystal meth problem is worst in British Columbia.

The number of deaths related to methamphetamine in B.C. rose from
three in 2000 to 33 in 2004.

Just because five needles were found in a ditch in Yennadon doesn't
mean anything has changed, said Robson, who resurrected the crystal
meth task force.

"We had just as much crystal meth in Yennadon last year as we are
going to have this year," he said.

"It does break out in pockets around someone who makes it or is
selling it."

Ridge Meadows RCMP would not confirm if there was a meth lab or dealer
in the area.

"The RCMP are always interested in intelligence," said Cpl. Bernie
Smandych.

Even if the tip is as minor as finding a discarded syringe in a
ditch.

Robson said the crystal meth task force will tackle the problem and
Maple Ridge will continue to be a leader in doing so throughout the
province.

"Education, enforcement and treatment," he said. "Education will be
taken into schools, but it will be more and better. I have donated
half my salary to it and I challenge anyone else in town to match me."

Robson said the new police chief has a good record in drug
enforcement.

The name of the new inspector, who is replacing outgoing Insp. Janice
Armstrong, is expected to be announced next week.

Chalmers wonders why someone would throw their needles on the
street.

She has two young children, aged 19 months and 10 weeks.

"It is the street that the children take to school most commonly if
they are walking," she said. "They walk through the ditches and kick
around the water."

Maple Ridge does not have a needle exchange service, which provides
drug users with needles but also serves as a safe place to dispose
them.

It is a service Ron Lawrence from Alouette Addiction Services is
accessing.

"We need to do a needs assessment for the community," said
Lawrence.

"We are working on that. We are doing some focus groups right now and
are going to be doing a presentation at city hall on the 10th [January]."

District staff promptly picked the needles out of the ditches when
they heard about Chalmer's find.

It wasn't the first time they'd been cleaning up drug paraphernalia
near Yennadon elementary.

In summer, more than 50 syringes were found strewn along a street near
the school.