TOWN HAS DRUG PROBLEM, ADMITS MAYOR

Bonnyville's mayor says any suggestion her town is more violent than other
small northern Alberta communities is "completely unfair." Kathryn Wiebe
said the discovery of the body of Jocylyn Wood on Saturday in a rural area
outside the town says nothing about the level of violence in the community,
241 km northeast of Edmonton.

"This is a human tragedy," she said. "It could have happened to any other
town."

In the past several years, six people have died violently in and around
Bonnyville, population 5,397.

Wood's death is being described as "suspicious" by RCMP, making her a
candidate for Bonnyville's seventh violent death since the summer of 2002.

Wiebe said five of the six violent deaths actually happened outside the town
proper.

Nevertheless, the mayor admits Bonnyville has a hard-drug problem. Crystal
meth is moving in. Several town residents contacted by the Sun on the
weekend said Wood was a meth user known for scamming people to feed her
habit.

"She was a drug addict, there was no question," said a Bonnyville hotel
clerk who didn't want to be identified.

"She was a very smart, intelligent girl, but she was also street-smart and
into conning people to get what she wanted.

"She just pissed off too many people. A year ago, a month ago, people were
saying she was going to get it. But she didn't deserve to die."

RCMP Cpl. Duncan MacInnis said police are checking the drug angle for
possible leads in her case.

"We're turning over all the stones," he said, adding police believe Wood
died in roughly the same spot where she was found - in a wooded area
northwest of town.

"We're still treating that spot as our major crime scene."

Wiebe said the town recently set up a Coalition for Substance-Free Living, a
community group that's been running anti-drug education programs.

"We're bringing speakers to the schools, distributing pamphlets," she said.
"Our local hospital will shelter an addict for several days as they come off
drugs.

"Crystal meth is spreading throughout northern Alberta, and we're trying to
do something about it."

Police expect to have autopsy results by this morning. - With files from
Kate Dubinski