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Hay River Town Council Meeting. February 18 th , 2008 Presentation by: Jodie, Michael and Peter Worden. Overview. Goal Observations Issues Recommendations Communication Opportunities Drug Free Zone Summary. Goal.
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Hay River Town Council Meeting February 18th, 2008 Presentation by: Jodie, Michael and Peter Worden
Overview • Goal • Observations • Issues • Recommendations • Communication Opportunities • Drug Free Zone • Summary
Goal It is our intention to provide you with some thoughts and recommendations that could be used to help: • Ensure there is a safe infrastructure in place for people to be able to be part of the solution to combat drugs in Hay River • Empower people of the Hay River Community to get actively involved in the solution
Key Observations • People like to live here. There is a lot more positive than negative • You can’t ignore some of the negatives, the close proximity of areas known to foster criminal activity. • i.e. Presbyterian Church share parking lot with the Single apartment building, across from Disneyland and beside Harry Camsell School • Tradition is “not to rat”- how do we change this? • Educating the youth is key
Key Issues • Acknowledging that there are problems in our town • Drug Trafficking in Hay River • Enforcing the Resident and Tenancy Act • How do we make people feel comfortable and confident to call in to report criminal activity? • Who are the players and leaders that are willing to initiate changes to make Hay River a safer community to live? • Improving communication to residents
Recommendations • Community Crime Prevention Committee • Supporting SCAN Legislation • Local Anonymous Tip Line • Search Warrant Signage • Communication Opportunities • Drug Free Zones and Educational programming
Communication Opportunities To find new and better ways to communicate. To let people know what the RCMP are doing to combat criminal activity and illustrate what is actually happening in our community. Some key vehicles would be: • The Hub • The Green Screen • School Announcements and Newsletters • Community Bulletins
The Hub • Police Briefs: statistics broken down by type of call and complaint • Crime Stoppers and Hotline advertisements • “Talk with the Cops” Q&A • Expanded Opinion Section
Concept(as applied to Yellowknife) • The idea of a Drug Free Zone (DFZ) for Yellowknife began on March 2006 after Yellowknife Area Policing Advisory Committee (YAPAC) members heard about one in another area. • DFZs were launched in April 2007
The Committee • Consists of a cross section of concerned Yellowknife citizens. • There is representation by: • high school aged youth • school personnel • RCMP and Municipal Enforcement • YAPAC members/general citizens.
What is a Drug Free Zone? • A Drug Free Zone (DFZ) is any specific location within the community, especially an area where children congregate, that the citizens of the community perceive as being a place where drug consumption and/or trafficking issues exist and which the citizens declare to be DRUG FREE.
Why have a Drug Free Zone? • Everyone has the right to have an area in which they feel safe and that is free from drugs, drug influences and drug traffickers. • The goal of a DFZ is to diminish and/or eliminate illegal drug activity in the areas specified as drug free zones. • In cases where people are arrested and charged for trafficking in illegal substances in a DFZ it will be noted on the police file that the incident occurred in this designated area.
What does this mean? How is this different from an arrest outside of a DFZ? • Drug Free Zones are established based upon the provisions of Section 10 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. • This section allows or suggests that Courts take into account where offences occur relative to locations near schools or other places that persons under the age of eighteen may frequent. i.e. a Drug Free Zone, parks etc. • Trafficking a controlled substance in a designated DFZ can be considered as an aggravating factor when it comes time for sentencing persons convicted of these offences.
How did we get here? • A decision was made to establish a DFZ for the areas around St Pat’s High School & Sir John Franklin High School. This includes the Weledeh Catholic School as well as the Kimberlite Career and Technical Centre. • The City of Yellowknife also passed a motion finalizing the DFZ boundaries and committing to purchasing, installing & maintaining the Drug Free Zone signage. • Installation of the DFZ signs is now complete and the DFZ program was officially launched on April 2nd, 2007.
What does this mean for the students? • The DFZ committee, with YAPAC in partnership with the City of Yellowknife committ to initiating an educational awareness program. • Resources and awareness programs and information will be delivered on a variety of topics that address drugs, drug culture, and associated concerns such as respect for self, others and community. • DFZ education and proactive encouragement will be given to students. i.e. Brochures, cards, reporting directions.
Where do we go from here? • Proposal: that Hay River Town Council initiate a project to implement its concept of a DFZ • Implementation Requirements: a project manager; a budget to cover costs of administration, research support, guest speakers, signage • Time Line: Make this a priority. What will be accomplished in 1, 2, 3, months from now? • Representation: seek input from concerned citizens, youth, school administration, social workers, RCMP
Summary • Hay River residents need to become actively involved in the fight to eliminate drugs in this community by offering information to authorities and by helping to put ideas into action • Programs need to be implemented promptly to help achieve this goal • It is not too late to eliminate drugs in Hay River • When people work together big things may be accomplished!
