Yellowknife (July 28/03) - Lea Martin is the senior co-chair of a group of concerned citizens who have banded together to attack substance abuse on the streets of Yellowknife.

She believes the Yellowknife Community Coalition will make a difference in Yellowknife.

News/North: Why did you come out to the first community meetings on substance abuse in Yellowknife?

Lea Martin: "...I went more out of curiosity than anything else. I'm well aware of the problems on the streets. I've been counselling teenagers informally for years here in Yellowknife. There was a lady that spoke at the first meeting I attended. She was very emotional and extremely adamant that we need to do something right now. She made me realize that that is the truth. I don't want to be part of the problem. I want to be part of the solution.

And, as a mom, and as someone who has counselled many teenagers, I think I have a bit of a different perspective. I've listened to kids at a grass roots level, who are actively using drugs, actively drinking.

N/N: What's the best way to reach kids like that?

LM: If you promote the coalition as a group of people who care, people are more apt to approach you. Kids have come to talk to me in environments where they feel welcome, such as the gym, school or park.

A 12-year-old phoned me recently. He wanted to tell me that he was offered a joint (marijuana) and he said 'no'. I asked him why he didn't phone the Kids Help Line.

He said he thought that was for people who want to kill themselves or run away. All he really wanted was to tell someone and be validated. I congratulated him and reinforced the fact that he made the best decision.

So then I went out to try and find Kids Help Line posters. I looked at several different buildings, government buildings and so on. I found it very difficult to find Kids Help Line posters. So I see the coalition as assisting other organizations, promote what's already available.

N/N: So you're saying the coalition can help by passing on information?

LM: We're in the process of developing a Web site that will be a data bank of information about what social services are available already, what kind of rehab services are available, or not. There will also be a discussion forum on the Web site where we hope citizens of Yellowknife will tell us what they need.

I'll give you another example. There are different types of rehab that are available, but none that are available here in Yellowknife. The closest facility for crack addiction is in Grand Prairie, Alberta. They have a waiting list already and it costs about $8,000 per person to go through drug rehab there. But if you look at the cost of potential damage one person can do to try and feed a crack addiction, then you're looking at much more than $8,000.

But right now, you have to wait for the process. You go for a medical to find out if you suffer from addiction and whether you meet all the criteria to qualify for funding. Often, people change their minds in the meantime.

I'm not saying the coalition will be able to find all solutions to these problems, but certainly we can bring this information to the public.

N/N: Who are the people in the coalition?

LM: I think there is one commonality. I'd say over 90 per cent of the people have had some kind of personal experience with drug or alcohol abuse, have been touched or affected in some way. That motivates them to seek changes.

Some people on the coalition have very young children, but grew up in Yellowknife and have seen the way drugs have evolved in Yellowknife. Now there are harder drugs out on the streets. We see by a lot of the projects the RCMP have worked on -- Operation Guiness and Getaway -- that there are criminal organizations that are here in Yellowknife that are actively selling drugs. The problem has become considerably worse over the last few years. And these longtime Yellowknife residents have now decided to say 'no'.

We don't pretend that we are going to change the world. But we will make changes. We already have. We have a group of people who are willing to work towards establishing things like, perhaps, a transfer station. We see the coalition as an opportunity to develop a solution for people who are currently put in a drunk tank.

N/N: Has anyone promised funding?

LM: We've had some groups approach us to ask if we are interested in getting funding. We said 'yes we are, but let us formalize ourselves.' Now, we are registering through the societies act and we will be in a position to receive funding.

We've talked extensively a formal needs assessment in Yellowknife, conducted by a person or organization that's not a part of Yellowknife. I think we really need to know what this city needs in terms of detox, rehabilitation centres, what kinds of substance abuse support programs do we actually need?

It's all well to say there's drug problems on the streets. But realistically we don't know what the percentage is. Even the police can't give very accurate figures on how many drug abusers are out there versus alcohol abusers.

N/N: So how could you get that information?

LM: You could conduct surveys. You could ask people, voluntarily, as they are checked out of cells. You could ask them if they could undergo some kind of survey. The RCMP certainly could monitor what's drug and alcohol related. And we see the coalition as an organization that can ask the RCMP to do that for the people of Yellowknife.

I think that's something that we need to know. Sometimes people will overinflate their perception of the drug or alcohol problem out there. They may inflate it or maybe not. Maybe they are under-inflating their perception of the problem. We don't know that yet.

N/N: What would you like to see happening with the coalition a year from now?

LM: I would like the coalition to support a citizens patrol. Also, I would like to see the coalition well into assisting all levels of government in establishing a transfer station project similar to the model in Alaska.

N/N: Do you think convincing the government to support this financially could be a roadblock?

LM: I don't think it will. Why? Because the coalition is made up of a group of citizens. They are the people of Yellowknife. So the government is here to assist us but also to serve us. There are people who are skeptical about this coalition. They see it as being yet another group that got together to shake and move the government.

Well, that's not our focus. Our focus is to tackle substance abuse issues on the streets of Yellowknife, but also to identify them. We are the people who are affected by substance abuse. If you look at it in that context, we will make a difference. And the government will have no choice but to listen to us. To what level, we don't know yet.

It's really been a very short time (since the group began).

We are going to get bigger and better. And we're going to have a very strong voice in this community. I know we will. I know we already do.

N/N: The woman you spoke about who inspired you to get involved -- is she involved?

LM: She's come to speak to some of the coalition members. It's interesting, she doesn't see herself as being worthy to be on this coalition. We've said to her, everybody is worthy. The membership criteria is that you are a citizen of Yellowknife (or on the Ingraham Trail, Ndilo or Dettah). It's not who you work for or what you may have been involved with. I think she may come around.