|CALEDONIA SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL DRUG FREE ZONE

THO f

EET

Coot too

ERQEBUE

“CALEDONIA SENIOR

SECONDARY SCHOOL

ELT LTTTry

ee eae we Se OT 8 ee ee ee

Th LL

DRUG FREE

ZONE

MAP SHOWS the layout of ihe Caledonia Senior Secondary elsewhere in the province. The southern boundary of the Cal School's drug free zone, !t takes in an approximate two-block ra- zone ends al the start of Skeena Junior Secondary School's dius around the school, a size that fits with similar zones enacted playing fields. Zone proponents say that school is next on the list.

First drug free zone takes effect around Caledonia

Includes private homes around school, asks court for stronger penalties

CALEDONIA SENIOR Secondary Students gathered in the R.E.M. Lee Theatre Dec. 6 to watch their school be the first in the northwest to have a drug free zone declared around it. Backers of stiffer narcotics penallies expect the zones will encourage judges to apply

harsher sentences fc for offences involving PBs

otis hae

people.

“By themselves, the zones ‘do not have any,

legal force.

But. they are regarded as defining a sen- tencing section of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, says city councillor. David Hull who, with fellow councillor’Ron Vander- lee,:introduced the idea in Terrace.

Upon conviction for trafficking or posses- _ Sion ‘for the ‘purposes of trafficking in or near schools or at places wheré. people under the age of 18 gather, judges shall consider these circumstances as “aggravaling factors”: in handing .down sentences, states the section.

It also permits the same for those who use people under the age of 18 to sell narcotics.

. “We've created. the factor,” said Hull. “We want the area to be the factor.” . “We expect the courts to foliow the Wishes of the people.”

In the-case of drug free zones, proponents want judges to double: possession fines and (ri- ple penalties for trafficking.

RCMP Inspector Doug Wheler, in a ques- tion and answer period al the signing ceremo-

Skeena drug-free zone to be next

BACKERS OF stiffer pen- alties for narcotics offenc- es met with Skeena Junior Secondary School parents last week to make that school the second one here to have a drug free zone around it.

“We want to get it rell- ing as fast'as we can,” said Skeena Parents Advi- sery Commitlee president Bob Park after the meet- ing.

“We'see it as a real positive move for the com-

. munity. and for the school.”

Park ‘said the matter is

now before the teachers for © discussion,

‘>The zone, he said, would be a two-block ra- dius, similar in size to the

ny, said typical fines in Terrace are $100 for possession and $500 for possession for the pur- poses of trafficking,

He said RCMP officers will be patrolling the ‘area around Caledonia as much’as possible and will respond quickly to any calls.

Students are also, .encourtged:ito. call: thea)

» fides! Crilifestéppers-line a! 635-3338.-- ‘The’ zone” ‘aroiind Cal extends: west to Cole.

“Responsible citizens don't want to see drugs in their neigh- bourhood. They want their neigh- bourhoads to be drug free. If you don’t have drugs in your home, you don't have to worry.”

Ave, and’ Thomas St., north to Caledonia Drive, Lambly and Labelle and portions of. Tuck and Soucie, west along. Straume to: take in the Catholic church and school grounds. and south as far-as Scolt, ending where Hughes in- lersections Scott-and Straume,

“Hull said the zone area may look aibitrary,

but does. follow the general (wo-block radius adopted elsewhere in the province,

The zone does take in private property, something Hull said should not bother people,

“Responsible citizens don't want ta see drugs in their neighbourhood They want their neighbourhoods to be drug free,” he said.

“If you don’t have drugs in your, home, you don't have to worry.”

Hull said other schools are on the list for

drug free zone status ‘as. are city indoor’ and

“ OULdOOE recreation’ facilities where young “‘peo-

Abed Noes MiG

ple fréqitent!

Some people want the entire city. declared a drug free zone, ‘he said, but that would dilute the effect of the sentencing. provision of the Controlled Drug and Substances Act.

In an address al the signing ceremony, Ca- ledonia ‘studeni council president Christa Lam- bright said the zone isnt about judging slud- ents.

Students want to “feel safe and protected 50 they: can-concentrale on {he reason we're here’ — to get an education,” she said.

“We simply ask that everyone stand togeth- er and say drugs have no place in our school.”

Those signing the drug free zone -declara- tian included Caledonia’ student council presi- dent Christa Lambright; school principal Geolf

Straker, teachers’ union president Frank Rowe,

Terrace and Distticl. Chamber of Commerce president Doug Barrett, acting schools superin- tendent Sharon Beedle, Hull.on behalf of the city, RCMP inspector Doug Wheler and mayor Jack Talstra, signing in his capacity as federal dmg prosecutor here,

CALEDONIA student council president Christa Lambright signs the school's drug free zone declaration at an assembly Dec. 6, Other signatories to the document included the RCMP, the local teachers union, drug prosecutors, the chamber of commerce and school district.

one surrounding Caledonia.

zone at a ceremony Dec.

“It could very well hap- drugs.

“Include alcoho! in

It would join Cal’s to

the north and. take in the.

apartment buildings across Walsh from the. school to the south, said Park,

- The idea of adding Skeena was also brought up by Caledonia students as they waiched their school: become the first one to come ‘under such a

6."

Ina question and an- swet session with. RCMP Inspector Dog | Wheler following the ceremony, several students wondered tf drug - aclivity would . move to Skeena now: thal a zone has-been’ set in place around Caledonia.

pen. Hopefully it. won7t,”

said Wheler in reply, “Students speaking out-

side after the ceremony

_tlso brought up Skeena.

They felt Skeena should be as much a tarpet.as Ca-

ledonia: because Giades 8 and 9 are the years where students experiment with

“If weed is a gateway lo ‘drugs, then Skeena is the ~gateway ” to schools,” said Charlene Normandeau,

“Younger people are more susceptible to drug use.”

‘Other studenis said it was a contradiction to not

the |

the zone, :

Still others appeared skeptical ‘of the concept,

saying drug users take drug

free zones as being more

_of a challenge,

Some ‘students . said

there’s less drug use at ‘Caledonia this year than last ‘year.

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, December 15, 1999 - AS

CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD

" maybe.

The Mail Bag

What's in a word

Dear Sir:

Iwas so excited to see the story headline on page Bt of your December O01, 1999 edition. “Millennium champaign sales expect to soar”. Finally, someone’ was doing a” story on “champaign”™.

As defined in m§& New Webster Encyclopaedic Dictionary of the English Language, “champaign” of course refers-to “A flat open country. Level; open; having the character of a plain.”

‘With-excitement-I-started-to-read;-wondering. if the article was going to refer to the famous “Champaigns of Abraham”. Maybe a litte disser- tation on bison hunting on the Prairie Champaigns. Maybe: it would be a travel piece abowi Montana and the Big Sky Country and the feeling you hav- ing living in a champaign. |

But alas. It-would appear that Bill Gates and spell check have worked their magic and the story was about CHAMPAGNE, that being; “A kind of _ Sparkling wine made chiefly in the department of Marne, in the former province of Champagne, in France.”

Oh well, another day in another champaign

David D. Hull, Terrace, B.C. Do some homework

Dear Sir:

_ Instead of decreasing administration in the de- plorable situation at Mills. Memorial’ hospital the administration is hiring a person te write nice arti- cles about how well the hospital and administra- lion are managing at an extra cost to taxpayers of $10,000 per year. What. for?

” “After degrading health care here, with excuses and remarks about limititions to admissions by the doctors ctc., who is, the health council trying to fool, or trying to: force people to believe? =

The sooner that many. of the. administration heads fold up tents and rapidly disappear the better health care may become, wilh more‘ knowledge- able, caring, local involvement and ‘employment. ©

I believe the justification for ‘no regional hospi- tals in B.C. is wrong. Dave Richardson of the Northern Interior Regional Health Board made:a more’ correct statement in saying Prince George Regional Hospital is a referral and overseer institu- tion for many communities surrounding the. city. Our health council government” representative needs more accurate education instead of political reasoning.

The rationale behind Prince Rupert obtaining the status of a regional hospital stems back to many years when Prince Rupert hospital served patients up and down the central and northern

_ coast line, when water travel or bush planes were

ihe only connection — no roadway. In recent decades with highway accessibility, Terrace is a most central location for many regio-

nal’ government servicés.’ It is only feasible that ~ ‘i-Mills Memorial should: be: fundéd ‘to serve: as a're-

gional facility for surrounding communities:

Mr. Novak, Mr. Giesbrecht, Mr. Kelly, and

others should do same homework and study be- fore making unreasonable statements.

Edna Jensen, Terrace, B.C.

Don’t blame animals

Dear Sir:

I am wriling in regards to the “Great Terrace Sewage Cover Up” conspiracy, where our Ministry of Environment's Jim Hofweber states that only ground water is draining from the sewage diversion lines.

Give me a break! Our own tests and video tap- ing of the sewage leak were conducted before the city workers plugged that pipe and also before the city flushed the pipe and slough for about a week with chlorinated city waler.

Of course it was. almost drinkable after that much chlorine was added to the slough and only ground water was visible after the pipe was plug- ged. Does this provincial government think we are stupid or naive or what?

It seems io be standard protocol regarding sew- age problems to point to animals, etc. Remember

B.C. Environment's John Collinson-Baker pointing an immediate finger ata vacant chicken coop as

the cause of all-the. high colliform counts. in: the slough when, if he had walked another 100 metres,he would: have found the leaking sewage diversion pipe himself.

Or recall Mr. Stew. Christiansen from the city, pointing to imaginary livestock and: nonexistent agricultural operations on Graham Ave. a5 5 the pos- sible source of contamination.

The few livestock that’ actually live on Graham consist ofa few horses only, and they all graze and live downstream from your filthy ditches. :

Open your eyés, genticmen. We're near 2000 and Terrace is still letting: its storm sewers: flow to the bottam of the hill-and sit there instead of trea- ting it as sewage like: most- modern municipalities.

If you can’t afford to treat your storm sewer run-

off, then shelve your multiplex ideas until-you can. .

An alternative may be:to put our Mr. Bowsher to work scooping all the dog and cat. feces in order to keep the storm sewer water clean enough lo not need sewage licatment

This pointing of fingers al livestock must be in a book of rules for. government: officials who don't want to rock the boal. When people in the Koolc- nays became infected. with Cryptosporidium from drinking water the health branch blamed the elk; in Kelowna they blamed the cattle.

If Terrace’s present city council doesn’t want to leave this legacy of cnvironmental pollution to mark the millennium and correct the sewage treat- ment deficiencies then. they should. do the only right thing, Step dawn and ga bury their heads in the sand.

Likewise our Ministry. of Environment, which doesn’t think its mandate ‘is to protect us at all bul only to protect the environment, should do the hon- ourable thing and find a real job because you can’t do the one you're doing: -

Brian Patrick, Terrace, B.C.

More letters, Page AG