TOWN FORGES AHEAD TO FIND INSTRUCTOR FOR DARE WORKS!

The local DARE Works! Society is hopeful that they are one step closer to
hiring a part-time instructor to teach their anti-drug and anti-bullying
curriculum.

The Town of Okotoks has been lobbying the provincial Solicitor General's
office for over nine months to approve a part-time position on behalf of
the DARE Works! Society.

Local RCMP member Cst. Geoff Carpenter is currently delivering the DARE
curriculum to Grade 6 students in the Foothills School Division (FSD).

DARE Works! is looking to expand its program to reach Grade 8 students but
will need a part-time staff member to take over some Grade 6 classes from
Carpenter.

Lori Czerwinski, executive director of the DARE Works! Society, said
expanding the program to include Grade 8 students will help reinforce what
was taught to students in elementary school.

She said statistics show that the effectiveness of the DARE curriculum
greatly increases if it is followed up every two years.

'By Grade 8 students are even more vulnerable to peer pressure,' Czerwinski
explained. 'The real key is to catch the Grade 6 students who have already
taken the program.'

DARE Works! has been offering the DARE curriculum in local schools for four
years.

The town is under pressure to find a new instructor soon as training for
DARE instructors is only offered twice a year. With the next training
session being held in mid-November the new instructor needs to be hired and
approved by the Solicitor General's office in the next three weeks.

DARE Works! Society members approached the town late last year with a
proposal that the town hire a special constable to work primarily as an
instructor for DARE but also would be qualified to work for the town. DARE
Canada requires that instructors of their curriculum be sanctioned to
uphold the law, have two years previous police experience and be a
uniformed officer.

The special constable would in turn be paid by the DARE Works! Society.

Council agreed unanimously to support the proposal and has since sent two
letters to the Solicitor General's office asking for their approval of the
special constable position.

Judy McKay, the assistant director of prevention programs and policing
services for the Solicitor General's office, has responded negatively to
the proposal twice.

McKay indicated that the approval for hiring a bylaw enforcement officer is
based on enforcement needs of the town.

Municipal Manager Will Pearce said he doesn't understand why the Solicitor
General's office is willing to approve the use of RCMP officers who also
serve the enforcement needs of the community, but will not approve the
hiring of a special constable for the same purpose.

Despite the two prior rejections, the town has gone ahead with the hiring
process and interviewed candidates last week.

'We are trying a different approach,' Czerwinski said. 'We are going
through the interview process so we will have a name to submit (to the
Solicitor General).'

Pearce said the town has good reason to be optimistic that the position
will be approved this time.

At an Alberta Urban Municipality Association (AUMA) earlier this year an
Okotoks town councillor asked Solicitor General Heather Forsythe why the
DARE Works! instructor position had been turned down, Pearce said.

According to Pearce, Forsythe responded that her approval of the DARE
Works! instructor was contingent on the results of an Alberta Learning
review of the DARE program.

When questioned further Forsythe responded that if the Alberta Learning
review was favorable she would approve the proposed DARE Works! position.

Since the AUMA conference Czerwinski was told by a Learning Ministry staff
member that the review has concluded and the DARE program received
favorable commendations.

Pearce hopes that with the favorable review by the Ministry of Learning and
the hiring of a qualified candidate the town and the DARE Works! Society
will get the approval they seek.