TOP DOC FEELS HEAT OVER CRACK PIPES

A perceived threat to the city's medical officer of health and a
shot-out window at a Para Transpo building have focused new attention
on security and kept police busy at city-owned buildings the past few
days. On Friday, Dr. Robert Cushman's office was locked down and
police were called after an angry caller raised alarms at the
Constellation Dr. office.

"The police got involved but I really dealt with the problem before
they needed to," said Cushman. He said he had spoken to the caller in
the past and believed the man had a legitimate complaint but became
overly heated during the discussion.

The discussion was connected to the city's decision to begin
distributing crack pipe mouthpieces on the same day.

The issue came to a boiling point last week with criticism of
Cushman's program coming from the public, city councillors and police
chief Vince Bevan.

It's not the first time Cushman has been criticized and threatened
over new programs.

He also found himself the focus of intense criticism and a threat
while pushing the city's ban on smoking.

Meanwhile, police are investigating a shooting at Para Transpo's
Belfast Rd. building Saturday night that left no one injured but
damaged a window to a supervisor's office.

The shooting comes only days before the sixth anniversary of the OC
Transpo massacre, a few hundred metres down the road from the Para
Transpo building.

Police say a worker in the building heard an unusual sound and
investigated.

The worker found a hole in the window and called police.

LITTLE TO FEAR

"When (police) gained access to an office, they found something that
could be a round," said Staff Sgt. Monique Ackland.

No one was in the office when the shot was fired and police had no
reports of other shootings in the area.

Neither councillors nor the union which represented Para Transpo
workers were notified of the weekend shooting by management.

Amalgamated Transit Union spokesman Bob Simpson said he hadn't been
contacted but believed there was little to fear.

"I think it's random," he said.