Province of Manitoba | News Releases | Meth Training For First Responders Expanded In Rural Manitoba

November 29, 2006

METH TRAINING FOR FIRST RESPONDERS EXPANDED IN RURAL MANITOBA

The province will expand its successful crystal meth training initiative to ensure front-line personnel in rural communities have the training and resources needed to detect labs and help those addicted to the drug, Attorney General Dave Chomiak and Healthy Living Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross announced today.

“Nearly 600 first responders across Manitoba have received training on meth use and production since our government announced this training initiative in the spring,” Chomiak said. “We will now step up our focus to prepare even more front-line workers in Manitoba municipalities to detect labs, recognize the hazards associated with this deadly drug and protect themselves when dealing with crystal meth.”

Chomiak said the program will be expanded to ensure more Manitoba municipalities are able to access a pioneering web-based training program offered by the Canadian Police Knowledge Network, a not-for-profit corporation that provides e-learning for police.

The minister said Manitoba Justice will secure additional training kits and ask municipalities to identify one or two front-line workers to receive training and co-ordinate information sharing within their communities. Manitoba Justice will provide additional course kits at no cost to the municipalities.

The course offers detailed information on the characteristics of crystal meth including symptoms and effects of use, methods of production, detection of crystal meth labs and associated hazards.
Web-based course delivery provides the flexibility of completing the training at work or at home at a pace of the student’s choosing.

Manitoba was the first province to make comprehensive training on crystal methamphetamine available to such a broad range of first responders including police and provincial and municipal agencies across the province. Front-line personnel can take the interactive training course from any Internet-connected computer.

“A comprehensive training initiative is a key component of Manitoba’s strategy to tackle crystal meth,” said Irvin-Ross. “Our government is committed to ensuring front-line personnel have the tools and resources necessary to help people addicted to meth and to safely shut down meth labs.”

The cross-province training initiative for front-line staff follows a series of day-long training sessions for child-welfare, addictions and mental-health service providers.

Irvin-Ross recently opened a new facility to provide a safe, secure environment in which youth can be stabilized after severely and persistently experiencing the effects of drugs including crystal meth.

- 30 -

Back grounder

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Manitoba Meth Strategy

The Manitoba Meth Strategy is a comprehensive plan to restrict the supply and reduce the demand for crystal meth. It includes:

· utilizing a unified takedown protocol, a co-ordinated inter-agency response policy to safely take down clandestine drug labs;

· providing provincial funding for the purchase of specialized clothing and equipment necessary to provide protection for police officers investigating chemically-contaminated drug labs;

· joining Saskatchewan in restricting the sale of 17 single-source pseudoephedrine products, the preferred ingredient in making meth, to make them available for sale only behind the counter in pharmacies and limiting quantities to 3,600 mg per purchase;

· continuing strong partnerships with jurisdictions across Western Canada to develop a phased-in approach to restricting the sale of pseudoephedrine products;

· restricting the sale of all multi-source pseudoephedrine products to pharmacies;

· increasing investments in mental-health and addictions programs and providing enhanced training to front-line workers to deal with crystal meth, other addictions and mental-health issues;

· establishing the Manitoba Meth Task Force comprising government, law enforcement and addictions agencies and led by Manitoba Healthy Living and Manitoba Justice;

· supporting a one-month Crimestoppers initiative in February 2006 that doubled cash rewards for tips on meth-related crimes;

· producing a $280,000 crystal meth public awareness campaign including print, radio, outdoor transit and television ads, brochures, a website and community forums;

· requiring theft of anhydrous ammonia to be reported;

· enacting the Youth Drug Stabilization (Support for Parents) Act that enables parents or guardians to apply to a court for an order to place a child struggling with severe and persistent substance abuse in a stabilization facility; and

· amending the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act to assist in targeting problem properties where production of crystal meth is believed to be taking place.

The Manitoba Meth Strategy builds on other initiatives to combat meth and other drugs including:

· providing a new, three-year $9-million investment to increase Manitobans’ access to mental-health and addictions services, which follows a $6.7-million investment to enhance and increase mental-health and addictions programs and services;

· providing funding for 74 new police-officer positions throughout Manitoba;

· increasing the fines under the Highway Traffic Act to provide additional funding for the City of Winnipeg to create the Street Crimes Unit, a flexible unit mandated to combat street crime;

· developing Canada’s most comprehensive drug-impaired driving initiative;

· continuing enhanced Manitoba Liquor Control Commission monitoring; and

· developing prevention and education programs provided by the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba at 60 high schools.