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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2006

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Crystal meth problem costly
by FRANK PEEBLES Citizen staff Crystal meth is hitting communities hard and it could get a lot worse, B.C.'s Solicitor General John Les told a packed forum at UNBC Thursday night. The province's top cop, Les explained that "crystal meth is cheap, available easily in any community across the province, easy to use, but the human cost is enormous. It will cost us dearly for decades to come if we don't take steps now. It is a nasty, mean, dirty and vicious drug. There is no question all drugs can be described that way, but crystal meth is a little more evil." Prof. Terry Waterhouse of the University College of the Fraser Valley's criminology department told the audience about the results of some B.C. studies done on the subject of crystal meth. He noted that the people caught in meth labs had an average criminal history of 14 years and an average count of 13 prior convictions for past crimes. Another study polled 1,000 students in three B.C. schools and revealed that eight per cent had tried crystal meth. "What was alarming to us," said Waterhouse, "was when we asked how many students used meth once per month or more, the result was seven per cent. There is no change. It was the same group. Crystal meth users are frequent users." With photos, graphs, charts and personal anecdotes, addictions counsellor Angela Marshall of the Fraser House rehabilitation centre in the Lower Mainland brought a similar but more personal message. "It is the most horrible thing I've ever worked with...it takes everything good and great about people and leeches it out of them," she said. Marshall described how meth could be ingested in just about any way a drug can be taken - smoking, injecting, eating, drinking, snorting - and the ingredients are simple, cheap, legal household or drugstore items. There is nothing common about the effects, though, she said. The power of the high, the crash and the cravings produce shocking aggression and psychological breakdowns, and it also eats the body in ugly and severe ways. In addition to MLAs John Rustad and Shirley Bond, city councillors, school trustees, teachers, police officers, health-care workers and social workers in attendance, there were also numerous people who spoke of addiction from first-hand experience. "It took me 30 years to get to two years (clean)," said one former meth user and prostitute. "They snuck me in for an extra stay (at the rehabilitation centre). You're only supposed to be there five days, but they kept me for 12. Three months is not enough for someone out there for 30 years." Another former addict said, "I did it on my own, without the help of the beds that weren't there. I even slept in front of detox places and they wouldn't let me in. You're lucky I made it. Being in jail was better than what was in my head."

AP photo

NOW WHO'S IN CHARGE? -- Rob Bell of Houston, B.C., gets a close-up view of Bullet Boy after the cowboy was bucked off during the matinee performance of the Fort Worth Stock Show rodeo on Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas.

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MLAs clash over results of health study
by BERNICE TRICK Citizen staff B.C. is ranked No. 1 in Canada for performance in health care, according to a report by the Conference Board of Canada. However, the province ranked last when it comes to patient satisfaction, according to the same report. In the overall health-care services indicator, B.C. had the lowest female patient satisfaction rate and the second-lowest male rate. "These apparently contradictory findings bring into question the relationship between satisfaction rates and overall health services," the report states. "Why are British Columbia's patient scores low when it appears to have the best overall health performance in the country? It will take considerable research and effort to answer this question," the report concludes. The board's rankings on health status and healthcare outcomes are based on 70 indicators that include life expectancy, incidence of disease, smoking rates, physical activity, body mass, mortality rates and access to health care. Provinces are rated on a gold, silver and bronze basis. B.C. had the highest number of golds at 63, followed by Quebec with 49. But Quebec still came in fifth because of the number of bronzes awarded. Alberta was second overall with 43 golds and 43 silvers. Manitoba finished in last place with the least golds (23) and the most bronzes (46). John Rustad, Liberal northern caucus chair and MLA for Prince George-Omineca, was quick to point out the plight of Manitoba, and the link to NDP leader Carole James. "British Columbia has ranked No. 1 in the country for health care, while NDP leader Carole James' professed health-care role model, Manitoba, has come up dead last," said Rustad. "This report confirms that the B.C. Liberal government has made huge strides in improving the quality of care British Columbians receive." Cariboo North NDP MLA Bob Simpson said he thinks it's great the Conference Board has pointed out B.C.'s strengths. "While it's good we are leading in some of those indicators on an intraprovincial comparison, we still have long way to go from a patient perspective. I don't think there's a lot of comfort for someone on a waiting list for heart surgery. It needs to be taken with a grain of salt," said Simpson. "If the provincial government uses it as a work plan, that's constructive. If they use it as an excuse not to act, it will defeat the purpose of what the Conference Board is trying to do." -- See FOCUS on page 3

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INDEX
Ann Landers . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Business . . . . . . . . . . . . 38-40 City, B.C. . . . . . . . . .3,5,13,31 Classifi ed . . . . . . . . . . .18-22 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Coming Events . . . . . . . . . . 30 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Entertainment . . . . . . . 25-27 Horoscope . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Nation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,7 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-12 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,15

Looking for Hockeyville
TORONTO (CP) -- The search for Hockeyville is on. Hockey fans from across the country will vie for the title of Canada's most passionate hockey community in a CBC reality show debuting March 29. Hockeyville will showcase the search for the Canadian town or city exhibiting the greatest hockey spirit combined with hometown pride. The prize? An opportunity to host a live NHL exhibition game. "From peewee leagues to the NHL, hockey animates individual communities and unites the country," CBC executive vice-president Richard Stursberg said at a Thursday news conference. "Kraft Hockeyville has all the right ingredients for colourful, accessible, entertaining and engaging television." Kraft Foods is the show's title sponsor. Created in collaboration with the NHL and the NHL Players' Association, the seven-episode series will chronicle stories from Canada's most hockey-mad regions. A panel of judges will narrow the field down to 25 communities, with viewers selecting which towns or cities will advance to the next round at the end of each episode. Five neighbourhoods will face off in the series finale which will air June 11, in the midst of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The victorious community will earn more than just the right to host an NHL pre-season game: it will also receive a $25,000 gift card for arena upgrades and $10,000 in hockey equipment. The NHLPA has donated an additional $10,000 apiece to each of the other four finalists.

New lotto to fund amateur sports
VANCOUVER (CP) -- The B.C. Lottery Corporation is taking a gamble on another new lottery. The $20 million in expected proceeds of the lottery over the next six years will benefit amateur sport in the province. Olga Illich, B.C.'s minister for sport, says the lottery will make a huge difference for thousands of children whose parents can't afford to put them into sports. The funding will pay for support and training of coaches, a travel program for teams and individual athletes, and will cover the costs of tournaments and sport registration for low-income families. The 2010 Vancouver Olympic Organizer Committee will also benefit from the lottery by getting about $15 million in funding.

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