METH TASK FORCE DRAWS 60

Over 100 people of all ages gathered this week to start a fight
against crystal methamphetamine in their community.

The first forum for the Oceanside Community Crystal Meth Task Force
began with details about the drug and talked about how they can try to
stop it.

This is not something we can resolve from a policing point of view ...
it's much bigger than that," says Oceanside RCMP Corporal Garry Cox.

They need our help and we can't do it without your help either, the
community's help," says Auxiliary Constable Ron Guthrie. This is the
time, we need to start working on this now."

The floor was opened for people to ask questions and make comments.
The response from the community was a mix of technical questions about
drug effects to broader community concerns.

My children are going to have children and I'm concerned for them,"
says area resident Roxanne Kehler.

One man who introduced himself as the parent of an addicted teen,
wanted to know the best approach.

How can we as a community get them ... the pushers, the cookers?" he
asked.

The answer, said task force chair Kevin Wilson, is a group like they
were setting up in that room - modeled after a successful program in
Maple Ridge.

A video based on the Maple Ridge experience was presented to give
people different ideas of the range of initiatives that were started.
When all told, around 60 people had signed up for the 11
sub-committees taking on three goals of education, enforcement and
treatment. Each sub-committee has been given a challenge based around
aspects of the drug's effect - including community and public
awareness, youth at risk, and first responders.

The people who were there were the people who really matter, the
caseworkers, front-line workers," says Wilson, summing up the meeting.

The next step will be a meeting with the members of the Maple Ridge
task force, who will visit Oceanside next week.

So that anyone who's on the sub-committee can question them closely,"
says Wilson.

That meeting is on Tuesday, July 5, from 1 to 4 p.m.

After that, each sub-committee can begin developing a plan for their
30-day deadline. Implementation goals are set for 90 days after that,
Wilson says. They will hopefully have the force in place by October.