DRUG TASK FORCE PROPOSED

Responding to a request from Kelowna Mayor Walter Gray, four social service
agencies in Kelowna have endorsed a proposal for a community task force on
harm reduction for intravenous drug use.

The Capital News has learned that the AIDS Resource Centre along with the
Okanagan Aboriginal AIDS Society, NOW Canada Society and the Central
Okanagan Boys & Girls Club responded Friday to the mayor's request with a
letter outlining how they believe the city should proceed.

The agencies want the city to use as a blueprint the report Framework for
Action: The Four-Pillar Approach to Drug Problems in Vancouver and the Four
Pillars Review, a task force set up by the City of Kamloops which is itself
based on the Framework report.

The agencies suggest the task force be comprised of a lengthy list of
political, business and community leaders including the mayors of Kelowna,
Peachland and Lake Country, Westbank First Nations Chief, the RCMP,
superintendent of schools, local MLAs and area directors of the Central
Okanagan Regional District, Interior Health Authority officials and members
of the Chamber of Commerce and the business associations. They also stress
the need for drug users to be included in the task force for it to have any
relevancy. Once formed, the agencies suggest recurring public forums
allowing debate on the issue be conducted.

Brian Mairs, director of the Okanagan Aboriginal AIDS Society, said the
Mayor Gray contacted him and ARC executive director Daryle Roberts after he
had missed a scheduled showing of the drug documentary FIX because of illness.

"He called and said I realize we have a problem but I don't have any wheels
to put this on," said Mairs. "What do we need to do to give me some wheels
for this is what he asked."

Mairs and Roberts quickly approached the other agencies because of their
expertise in addictions and harm reduction. "They took one look at what we
wanted to do and signed right on," he added.

While he realizes time constraints may be a limiting factor, Mairs said he
would like to see something going before the end of the month.

"I understand the wheels of politics move relatively slowly but I'm hoping
the mayor and the councillors take a serious look at this and get right on
it," he said. "My timeline may be unrealistic but I would hope they would
at least start something before summer."

Mairs also hopes the general public will embrace the idea. "This valley
denial thing has to end somewhere. This is the largest city in the
Okanagan. It's not Utopia as much as we would like to think it is."