RURAL SASKATCHEWAN KIDS NOT AS SAFE AS WE THINK

Some of you may not like what you're about to read, but it's something we
all really need to think about.

Rural Saskatchewan may not be the ideal place to raise our kids like we
once assumed it was. And all one has to do to recognize that reality is to
look at two stories getting a lot of attention from the media and the
provincial politicians of late--the stories about crystal methamphetamine
addiction and the stories about bullying that may have led to a teenage
suicide in Canora.

Of course, we do need some perspective here. While there has certainly been
a lot of media attention on places like Canora, there has really been
little evidence to suggest such issues are any worse in Saskatchewan's
rural settings. Scourges of adolescence like drugs and bullying, after all,
plague virtually every corner of every country on the planet. But those who
would take comfort in that notion and believe that these issues are being
blown out of proportion by the media and politicians really need to think
about a couple things.

It was no small coincidence that rural Saskatchewan Party members brought
the crystal meth issue to the public's attention last year. The Sask. Party
MLAs were simply reflecting what they were hearing from their communities.

As highly addictive as it is cheap to make, crystal meth has quickly become
the new drug of choice in the drug culture. RCMP in both Saskatchewan and
Alberta explain that it is booming in smaller rural communities and among
First Nations people because of ease of distribution and easy access to
manufacturers.

So serious is the problem that the Saskatchewan Association of Urban
Municipalities (SUMA) adopted a resolution at its recent meeting calling
for the provincial government to adopt an action plan to stop crystal meth
use. The government late last year did assign Saskatoon Sutherland MLA
Graham Addley to study and develop such a strategy--a move that came in the
wake of the Sask. Party's repeated concerns.

The NDP government also recently unveiled an anti-bullying strategy for
every school in the province--one that Learning Minister Andrew Thomson
admitted was a direct response to the tragic suicide of 16-year-old Travis
Sleeva in Canora.

Again, it's important to stress that this is a problem that's hardly
confined to Canora or rural Saskatchewan. But there are a couple things we
need to re-examine.

Most of us still live under the notion that bullying is nothing more than
part of growing up--something that, at the end of the day, some kids have
to endure.

This indifference can be a particular problem in smaller schools where the
kid being picked on has less opportunity to escape to other peer groups.
For that kid, his world can become a world of nothing but relentless torment.

Worst of all, there may even be a tendency in small, close-knit communities
for parents, teachers and principals not to want to make more problems for
parents that are their neighbours.

The tragic consequences of these issues tell us attitudes simply have to
change. That change begins with understanding that our communities may not
be as ideal as we think.

We live where we live because we like where we live. And we can sometimes
become a bit overprotective and defensive of our homes. But thinking that
these problems aren't really happening in small towns is really the
equivalent of naively thinking that my little Johnny wouldn't do that. The
notion that the relative isolation and stronger sense of community shields
rural Saskatchewan from the problems of the big, cold cities doesn't hold
much water anymore.

Some may not like to hear it, but it's got to be said: Rural Saskatchewan
isn't necessarily a safe haven. It can be as dangerousa place for our kids
as anywhere else.