DRUG DOG ISSUE GOES TO MEDIATION

Whether the Canines for Safer Schools program will continue with a dog
at Porter Creek Secondary School may be settled out of court later
this week.

In Yukon Supreme Court on Monday, both the school and the family
opposing the dog's presence agreed to go through judicial mediation.

The family, whose name has been prohibited from publication, is
against bringing the dog into the school because their child, a
student at the high school, has a serious allergy to dogs.

The program would see school resource officer Doug Green bring his
canine, Ebony, into the building each day.

While Ebony is trained to indicate where there are particular drugs,
Green has said in the past the animal acts as more of a communication
tool in helping him speak with youth who approach the dog. Green will
be speaking to youth about drugs and other issues they're facing.

The program is modelled after the Dog for Drug Free Schools program
Green started in Alberta.

Last month, the Yukon Human Rights Commission ruled the school could
bring the dog into the building after the student's family argued against it.

The family then took it to court, seeking a judicial review of the
commission's decision and an injunction to stop the dog from coming
into the school until the judicial review is complete.

Yukon Supreme Court Justice Leigh Gower had been set Monday to
schedule a date for the matter to be heard in court.

Penelope Gawn, the school's lawyer, proposed the matter go to judicial
mediation first in an attempt to find "common ground" before going
through litigation.

After seeking instructions from the family, their lawyer Sharleen
Dumont, consented to mediation with the school, agreeing to take an
extra week to Oct. 1 before Ebony comes into the building.

If the two sides can't reach an agreement through mediation on
Thursday, a court date has been set for Sept. 28 on the injunction to
keep the dog out of the school.

While Gower will preside over the mediation, Justice Ron Veale will
hear the more formal injunction if a resolution can't be found in mediation.

Following Monday's court session, school principal Kerry Huff said
he's pleased it's going to mediation first and is hopeful a solution
can be found to accommodate everyone involved.

As to whether mediation will work, Huff replied: "I'm confident we
have to try."

The proposal for mediation hadn't come forward prior to this because
it was being considered by the rights commission, he noted.

The commission made its decision in late August, with the application
for the court injunction coming forward just a few days later.