View From the Legislature

The recent report that showed the region served by the Steinbach RCMP is in the top 10 in terms of the amount of drugs seized in the province of Manitoba is neither a cause to panic nor a cause to be complacent.

It stands to reason that a city the size of Steinbach, the third largest community in the province, and the growing surrounding region would have its fair share of both drug use and drug distribution. No community is immune to the problem of drugs even though we may wish it to be so. All the report really does is confirm that there is reason to be both vigilant and realistic when it comes to the local drug issues.

It is sometimes too easy to overlook a problem such as drug use in our community. If you are fortunate enough to not have the life of your family impacted directly by drugs it is a problem that literally flies below the radar. But that doesn’t mean that the issue of drugs doesn’t impact you. Other crimes, such as burglary and theft, are often closely tied to the drug trade.

The overriding fact remains that Steinbach and the surrounding region are both safe and desirable places to live. But growing regions often have challenges and increased crime and drug availability are among those. The way to address these issues is to be alert to them and to be proactive. That is one of the reasons I recently commended the City of Steinbach task force on policing and community safety which recommended the addition of police officers for a local Investigations Unit.

One of the facts about criminal activity related to drugs, which often has links to organized crime, is that it is an easier issue to control if you are proactive and ahead of the problem. Once organized drug activity finds its roots in an area, it is very difficult to get those roots out.

Part of the effort to reduce drugs in any community is, obviously, police resources. But it goes well beyond that. Supporting in-school initiatives such as the DARE program along with community driven recreation, mentoring and arts programs is important. Citizen initiatives such as the Citizens on Patrol Program are a cost effective way to provide additional support to law enforcement as well. These are all good efforts that currently exist in Steinbach and the region.

The fact that there is drug activity in our region should come as a surprise to no one. What matters most is the response we have to that reality. A proactive attitude is what this region was built upon and it’s exactly the kind of response needed when it comes to the challenge of drugs.