DRUG ENFORCEMENT STRATEGY SESSION OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

"We're recovering a ton of cocaine."

Kenora Police Service Chief George Curtis uses those words to describe the
growing drug problem facing officers with the city force and the Ontario
Provincial Police.

"Both (OPP) Inspector (Dennis) O'Sullivan and I have been telling our
Police Service Board on an on-going basis that we have a severe problem in
our community with drug use," said Curtis.

With that "severe" problem getting worse, the Police Service Board is
hosting a 'Drug Enforcement and Biker Gangs Strategy Session' at the Kenora
OPP detachment next Wednesday at 6 p.m.

"What was happening was people on the Police Service Board, people at the
mayor and council level were starting to see drugs impact on people that
they knew in our community," said Curtis.

When the politicians began calling for action, Curtis said he and
O'Sullivan advised them an education session to which council and other
community leaders were invited had to be the first step.

"Every time you seem to read the paper on the break and enters it appears
to all be related to people addicted to crack cocaine and trying to service
their habit," said Kenora Mayor Dave Canfield.

The mayor said he's concerned crack cocaine is having "very, very serious
ramifications on the community, I don't think we want our young kids turned
into criminals."

Said Canfield, "The answer to the people who are dealing cocaine is to get
them off the street and save our kids."

Curtis points to January's statistics provided by the Northwestern Ontario
Tri-Force Drug Enforcement Unit to indicate the level of the drug problem
in Kenora.

They showed a street value of $1,200 in cocaine, $6,600 in marijuana and
$400 in hashish oil seized along with $7,300 in cash.

"And that's a lousy, cold month in January," said Curtis.

The numbers don't give the full picture of the problem the local police
forces are faced with.

"Every week now our people are going up into schools and to property around
schools and they are catching young kids toking up between classes, toking
up at lunch time," said Curtis.

"That's why we're so willing to get involved and do this, because we're not
sure that everyone in our community is aware of how severe the problem is."

Wednesday's strategy session runs from 6-7 p.m. and will include
presentations by OPP Det. Sgt. John Horne of the Northwestern drug unit and
OPP biker enforcement Det. Dwayne Hill.

Canfield said he's optimistic that arming people in the community with
information about drugs and their affects will help police on the
enforcement side.

"We all know people that have been affected by the use of crack cocaine and
the result of it," said Canfield. "The big thing is public awareness, I
don't think people, especially the young kids, realize the seriousness of it."