SUPPORTS FOR YOUTH IN RESPONSE TO STREET DRUGS AT SHOAL LAKE

Community leaders at Shoal Lake 39 are actively recruiting supports for
their youth, after finding a suspicious package along a pathway meant for
children.

Residents wasted little time in confronting the individual responsible, and
then telling him that his business wasn't welcome on their reserve.

"We don't want this substance here. Otherwise there could be severe
consequences," said Councillor Ed Mandamin, Tuesday, noting a Treaty 3
police officer was standing by, if needed. "So far as I know, there haven't
been any stories about it in our community.

The incident comes as Northwestern Ontario is coming to terms with a new
generation of street drugs that are destroying lives and families across the
continent.

They include crack cocaine along with crystal meth, as well as a new opiate
called oxycontin, or Hillbilly heroin.

"What it feeds off of is the boredom," said Mandamin, who has become
involved in creating positive alternatives for young people on the First
Nation.

Band staff have been working steadily with the newly appointed junior chief
and council on the formation of mentoring programs, which may include a Big
Brothers Big Sisters program, or even a leadership program such as
aboriginal Toastmasters.

Through the support of a caring community, which includes extended family
members and elders, along with band council and staff, Mandamin hopes the
new generation will choose to serve others in a constructive manner.

His own experience with a family tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the
perils of non-prescription drugs. He remembers the denial of his parents,
who refused to believe their 36 year-old son had an addiction problem, until
they found him dead, alone in his apartment.

"I still have a hard time talking about it, because I don't want to believe
he would be involved in something like that," he said, remembering his
brother's premature death from heart failure.

"To see my mother and father grieve the way they did for my brother, that
affected me more than any other," he said. "I think about it every day."

Growing up in Winnipeg, Mandamin saw first-hand the formation of gangs
organized around the drug trade. He also lost many friends, who passed away
before their time because of their illicit habits. All too often, he said a
death or an incarceration leaves behind a single mother or a broken home,
leaving another generation vulnerable to a lifestyle glamorized by movies
and music.

"It's a very vicious cycle," he said, noting he was lucky to have supportive
teachers to help him straighten out.

"It's a battle that I think every family in this community is fighting with,
in one way or another," he said, noting band council is working on ways to
help.

Police and community leaders in Kenora have also been active with their
anti-drug message, in hopes of curbing the use of these new street drugs,
which can cause severe addictions. Statistics from drug rehabilitation
agencies show more than 90 per cent of those addicted are unable to kick
their habit.