Latest news with #SteveKooner
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
FIRST READING: B.C. politician pushes bill to force schools to say drugs are bad
First Reading is a Canadian politics newsletter curated by the National Post's own Tristin Hopper. To get an early version sent directly to your inbox, sign up here. The B.C. Conservatives are calling for measures to keep 'radical drug lobbyists' out of schools after a school event that featured info cards on how to do drugs such as cocaine, meth and GHB. 'This isn't education. It is grooming kids into drug culture,' said B.C. Conservative MLA Steve Kooner in a Tuesday statement endorsing his private member's bill that, if passed, would compel schools to 'explicitly discourage drug use.' The event in question was a Pride festival sanctioned by the Nanaimo-Ladysmith Public Schools District. After accompanying her 10-year-old to the event, Nanaimo, B.C. mother Ruth Taylor alerted local media to the presence of postcard-sized leaflets that local media described as 'drug use information cards.' A card labelled 'meth,' for instance, details the drug's euphoric effects, its reported ability to increase libido and even includes recommended dosages. 'A light dose is around 5-10 mg, a common dose is around 10-30 mg, and a strong dose is 30-40 mg,' it reads. A card for GHB, a common date-rape drug, reads that the substance can 'make the user feel more relaxed and more sociable.' It adds, 'G can also increase libido.' The cards were among the literature offered at a booth run by AIDS Vancouver Island, a harm reduction non-profit funded in part by government bodies such as Island Health and the Public Health Agency of Canada. Taylor told Chek News that she confronted AIDS Vancouver Island about the materials being inappropriate for schoolchildren, but that 'they were not receptive to what I was saying' and 'the cards stayed for the remainder of the event.' AIDS Vancouver Island didn't respond to a National Post query before press time. In a statement provided to Global News on Monday, the group said it was told the event was for older children and that they stood by 'the fundamental importance of youth receiving honest, factual and appropriate substance use and sexual health materials.' The Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District, in turn, said they took responsibility for 'the lack of oversight' regarding the cards, and said they would be keeping a closer eye on the materials handed out by 'external organizations' at events where students are in attendance. The cards were manufactured by DanceSafe, a California-based non-profit that specializes in providing drug-checking materials to raves, music festivals and other events likely to feature illicit drug use. The group produces 'drug info cards' for 14 distinct drugs, ranging from nicotine to mushrooms to the synthetic psychedelic 2C-B. The cards only cover 'party' drugs, so there's no card for heroin or fentanyl. DanceSafe stresses that its role is as a 'nonjudgmental first point of contact.' As such, the cards warn of the drugs' various side-effects, but they do not suggest that the drug might be best avoided. The cocaine card, for instance, suggests using the drug 'in moderation' in order to avoid developing a 'problematic relationship with it.' 'Cocaine is very short-acting, and the after-effects (the 'comedown') can be quite unpleasant,' it reads, warning that the comedown can prompt 'compulsive redosing.' Each card is also decorated with stylized imagery inspired by the drugs' effects. The meth card is adorned with lightning bolts, while the cocaine card has a 1970s aesthetic, complete with disco ball. Taylor referenced the cards' 'bright' and 'attractive' appearance in her comments to Chek News. Kooner called them 'colourful flashcards.' Kooner's Tuesday statement said the apology from the Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District was 'not enough,' and that 'we must stop sending mixed messages on drugs to children.' Earlier this year, Kooner tabled a private member's bill that would require 'mandatory anti‑drug messaging' in schools, that would include 'stigma against drug use as a deterrent.' The DanceSafe cards are far from the first time that a Canadian school event has run into controversy for making materials available to minor that either facilitated drug use or encouraged risky behaviour. Two years ago, a B.C. high school just north of Nanaimo came under fire after a drug awareness presentation concluded with the session leader distributing 'safer snorting' kits. The kit, manufactured by the publicly funded Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange, included plastic straws and cards to cut powdered drugs into lines that could then be snorted. 'Have condoms and lube with you. You may want to have sex while high,' read an accompanying booklet. That same year, a Canadian chapter of Planned Parenthood was barred from presenting in Saskatchewan schools after a sex education programmer distributed graphic cards describing fringe sex acts involving defecation and urine. With Canada still ostensibly planning to fix housing unaffordability by scattering the country with millions of government-built homes, a new Montreal Economic Institute report is urging Ottawa to take heed of a similar New Zealand program that failed miserably. KiwiBuild, much like the Carney government's proposed Build Canada Homes, set out to build 100,000 affordable homes within a decade. It only managed 2,389. And this is not the first time that New Zealand has provided Canada a tidy example of what not to do. Like the Liberal government is doing right now, New Zealand tried to combat gun crime by pursuing a massive gun 'buy back.' It went way over budget, and ended up coinciding with gun crime going up. Get all of these insights and more into your inbox by signing up for the First Reading newsletter.
National Post
10 hours ago
- Health
- National Post
FIRST READING: B.C. politician pushes bill to force schools to say drugs are bad
Article content TOP STORY Article content The B.C. Conservatives are calling for measures to keep 'radical drug lobbyists' out of schools after a school event that featured info cards on how to do drugs such as cocaine, meth and GHB. Article content Article content 'This isn't education. It is grooming kids into drug culture,' said B.C. Conservative MLA Steve Kooner in a Tuesday statement endorsing his private member's bill that, if passed, would compel schools to 'explicitly discourage drug use.' Article content The event in question was a Pride festival sanctioned by the Nanaimo-Ladysmith Public Schools District. Article content After accompanying her 10-year-old to the event, Nanaimo, B.C. mother Ruth Taylor alerted local media to the presence of postcard-sized leaflets that local media described as 'drug use information cards.' Article content A card labelled 'meth,' for instance, details the drug's euphoric effects, its reported ability to increase libido and even includes recommended dosages. Article content The NDP invite the pro-drug lobby into BC schools. Conservatives are fighting to get them out. — Steve Kooner MLA (@SteveKooner) June 24, 2025 Article content 'A light dose is around 5-10 mg, a common dose is around 10-30 mg, and a strong dose is 30-40 mg,' it reads. Article content A card for GHB, a common date-rape drug, reads that the substance can 'make the user feel more relaxed and more sociable.' It adds, 'G can also increase libido.' Article content The cards were among the literature offered at a booth run by AIDS Vancouver Island, a harm reduction non-profit funded in part by government bodies such as Island Health and the Public Health Agency of Canada. Article content Taylor told Chek News that she confronted AIDS Vancouver Island about the materials being inappropriate for schoolchildren, but that 'they were not receptive to what I was saying' and 'the cards stayed for the remainder of the event.' Article content AIDS Vancouver Island didn't respond to a National Post query before press time. In a statement provided to Global News on Monday, the group said it was told the event was for older children and that they stood by 'the fundamental importance of youth receiving honest, factual and appropriate substance use and sexual health materials.'
Global News
17-05-2025
- Business
- Global News
Questions raised about why discrepancies weren't found in Richmond gift card scandal
As Richmond RCMP's Serious Crime Section investigates a gift card scandal at city hall, questions are being raised about why discrepancies weren't discovered. Police were called in after Global News exposed hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of financial irregularities. The city says it has been unable to reconcile $295,000 worth of cards bought in 2022, 2023 and 2024. KPMG audited the city's financial statements. City of Richmond is defending use of the same company for the forensic audit, saying 'It is being carried out by KPMG Forensic Inc., an independent arm of its Audit Services division.' 2:06 RCMP investigating Richmond City gift card program Richmond MLA and Attorney General Critic Steve Kooner said 'We need to get to the bottom of this and we need to find out exactly who was involved, we need to find out who signed off on this whole program and all these different give cards, we need that level of accountability, we need answers.' Story continues below advertisement Richmond previously claimed most cards were for service awards, retirement or volunteer recognition. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy A Freedom of Information request by Global News produced nearly 500 pages of documents revealing purchases far exceeded those suggested by the city. One city employee has been fired, so far. The forensic audit covers the past three years only.
