FATHER UPSET BY DRUGS IN BACKYARD

A homeowner and father of four young children was furious after finding a
paper bag filled with drugs and drug paraphernalia discarded in his backyard.

Frank Chartrand told The TIMES Monday that when he returned home Saturday
with his family, neighbours informed him they had chased what appeared to
be a homeless man from his backyard. He was observed feeding Chartrand's
dogs a bag of potato chips.

After a closer inspection of his backyard, Chartrand said he discovered the
paper bag near the pen where he keeps his dogs.

"There was about 30 or 40 pills, a pipe, needles and a prescription bottle
filled with some kind of liquid," he said, adding he believes the liquid in
the bottle might have been methadone - a drug used to help addicts deal
with the withdrawl effects of heroin addiction.

Chartrand's home is located down the alley from the Salvation Army shelter.

After the discovery of the drugs, police were called by staff at the
Salvation Army, who apparently observed Chartrand's neighbours
"strong-arming" the homeless man, according to shelter director Capt.
Kathie Chiu.

Ridge Meadows RCMP confirmed they arrested a 49-year-old man, who had no
fixed address, late Saturday afternoon but no charges were laid and the man
was later released.

Clashes involving residents in nearby homes has spurred a groundswell of
local opposition since the opening of the Salvation Army's shelter.

The issue is whether problems are caused by: people who stay at the
shelter; people who simply hang out near the shelter and who have long
lived in the bushy areas close by; or a suspected drug house located in the
same neighbourhood.

"I can put up with a lot of stuff but that's not tolerable," Chartrand
said. "I've got four kids (ranging in age from a baby to a seven years
old). What if one of my kids swallowed one of those pills thinking it was
candy."

In response to Saturday's incident, Chiu told The TIMES the Salvation Army
is doing all it can to mitigate the impact of shelter uses on nearby residents.

"We have continued to try and work with neighbours as best we can. We are
working diligently to address these issues and we empathize with the
residents' concerns," she said, adding, however, keeping tabs on all the
people who use the shelter when they leave Salvation Army property and what
they do isn't possible with the limited amount of staff she has.

"Once it goes go beyond our property it becomes a municipality and police
issue (but) we try to cooperate with police and all community members," she
said.

The Salvation Army is looking into hiring a full-time security guard and is
hoping to meet again with nearby residents to update what has happened
since the last public meeting held to discuss homeless issues in Maple Ridge.

"We have addressed all lot of their complaints...but we have not succeeded
fully to meet all their concerns," Chiu said.