8 * THE SUBURBAN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 2010

LOW SELF-ESTEEM?

* Depression * Anxiety * Perfectionism * Procrastination * Emotional Eating * Relationship Difficulties * Shyness * Substance Abuse An effective group program to increase self-esteem will meet weekly for 8 weeks to equip people with the most cutting-edge tools from psychology and Eastern contemplative traditions One-on-One Counselling is also available * Adults * Adolescents * Children Call or e-mail life coach & psychotherapist

Sarah Sinray

BSc., MApplSc. to learn more sarah@prajnacoaching.com or

514-213-9421

Pierre Arcand MNA for/Député de Mont-Royal 3400 Jean-Talon W., #100 Montreal, QC H3R 2E8 Raymond Bachand MNA for/Député d'Outremont 5450, Côte-des-Neiges Road # 115 Montreal, Qc H3T 1Y6 Lawrence S. Bergman MNA for/Député de D'Arcy McGee 5800 Cavendish, #403 Cote St. Luc, QC H4W 2T5

NEWS & ANALYSIS

What goes wrong with kids

A Verdun cop shares some thoughts

By P.A. Sévigny The Suburban When two teenagers were recently accused of the second degree murder of Verdun teenager Brian Kachur, it wasn't much of a surprise for at least one Montreal police officer. "Whenever they're in my office, they all get the same speech," said Constable X. . While happy to discuss what possibly happened to Kachur, X did ask The Suburban not to use real names. Other than that, X described the case as a fairly typical example of what she has to deal with both in Verdun and other parts of the city's south-west."It doesn't take much for

HAPPY CANADA DAY JOYEUSE FÊTE DU CANADA

Jacques Chagnon MNA for/Député de Westmount St-Louis 1155 University #1312 Montreal, QC H3B 3A7 Henri-François Gautrin MNA for/Député de Verdun 4110, rue Wellington, #301 Verdun, QC H4G1V7 a kid to make a bad decision, but when he keeps making one bad decision after another, it's almost always a one-way street leading straight into the city's street gangs." Two years ago, X recalled having a chat with one of Kachur's alleged killers after he was arrested for stealing cars along the borough's waterfront. Even if the boy was only 13, X already had a feeling he was surely headed for trouble. "Once it becomes a habit, it isn't long before it becomes part of their lifestyle," said X. "After awhile, it all becomes part of a pattern and it's not long before the kid moves into sustained delinquent activity. After that, it's just a question of time before he's part of a gang." As a police officer with years of experience working with minors, X has more than a few good things to say about Quebec's approach to young offenders and the law when compared to the rest of Canada. "It's less harsh than what happens to young offenders in the rest of Canada," she said, "and it gets better results." When caught for a first offence, X said the young offender's attitude can often be a factor which can make

COHEN

Cont'd from page 4 the issue go away. "If they show a certain remorse and understand exactly what they did, we can usually work something out and give them a break", said X. If all goes well, the young offender will usually get a warning after which both the police and the crown will set the file aside and hope for the best. X said that's usually enough to get the young offender back on track but a second offence could mean a court appearance and some community work. While the young offender is now the subject of an active file, both the crown and the police are usually willing to give the minor another chance before things get serious. If there's a third offence, X said the situation quickly changes and the offender soon discovers he (or she) is in serious trouble. "The results speak for themselves," she said. "We cut our recidivism rate by almost 50 percent while it's only 10 percent in the rest of Canada. Once we decide bad decisions are becoming more a question of bad habits, we have to do something before someone gets hurt." When asked about what happened to Kachur's alleged killers, X just shook her head. "No one's perfect," she said. "There are still a lot of cracks in the system and sometimes people fall through those cracks." n Springate presided were Marcel's wife, Brunhilde Ramaut, their children, Marise, Flavie and Sigfried; brothers Francois; Gérald, and his wife, Suzanne Tailleur and his close friend, Michael Applebaum, mayor of the borough if Côte des Neiges/NDG. Senator Leo Housakos gave a moving keynote address honouring Marcel's lifelong commitment to public service. Marcel's first duty was to swear in and grant citizenship to 15 worthy individuals. COHEN CHATTER: I was with former Canadiens tough guy Georges Laraque before he headed to Haiti on a humanitarian mission earlier this month. The Habs recently handed him a cheque for $1 million not to play for them anymore. He is a free agent tomorrow, July 1, and says he is convinced another team will sign him. In the meantime he is fundraising for a hospital in Haiti, is a member of the Green Party, doing some acting and tis he owner of one (soon to be two) vegan restaurants (Crudessence) in Montreal. He also signed a lucrative 20-year endorsement deal with Teksavvy, a high speed Internet and telephone provider. .. Last Call With Sol returns to the airwaves on July 1 (10 p.m.) via www.vipinternetradio.com. The pro- Kathleen Weil MNA for/Députée de Notre-Dame-de-Grâce 5252 de Maisonneuve W., #210 Montreal, QC H4A 3S5 gram starts out as a two-hour broadcast from Monday through Friday with rebroadcasts on Sundays and archived playbacks on demand. "In keeping with the original intent of the show we will be an outreach centre for people suffering from addictions," says Sol Boxenbaum. "I believe the future of radio is on the Internet." Info: www.lastcallwithsol.com. n

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