Established 1993

Canadian DARE Coordinators  (PDF)

For more information, contact:

Ron Lard
2317 River Drive
King George, VA 22485

ron.lard@dare.org

Office: 540.663.4160
Fax: 540.644.0024

“The parents of this community and the teachers strongly support the D.A.R.E. program. This program is tremendous in teaching our young people about the harmful effects of drugs, and about life skills.”

Inspector Mark Allen
Detachment Commander
Ontario Provincial Police
Ontario, Canada

Another D.A.R.E. Success Story

As a police officer for 10 years, Constable Rick Lemieux has seen his fair share of excitement chasing down Timmins' criminal element. But as dozens of 6th Grade students walked into the gym at W. Earle Miller Public School for their D.A.R.E. graduation, it's the knowledge they are walking away with what Lemieux calls his greatest accomplishment. 

"This was the best experience I ever had as an officer -- teaching D.A.R.E. is unmatched by anything I've ever done in my career." 

The feelings were mutual as the students gave Lemieux rounds of applause prior to the start of the ceremony.

"A lot of people think D.A.R.E. is just about drugs, but the thing it brings to the table even more is making good choices," Lemieux said. "They already know tobacco is bad; they know drinking too much alcohol is bad…these are but two of a lot of choices you have to make through life."

The guidance D.A.R.E. has provided young people is paying off in Canada.  Every four years, D.A.R.E. Canada conducts surveys and each of those four years, the study shows that the number of teenagers smoking in Canada has dropped. When Lemieux started teaching DARE six years ago, the percentage of teens smoking was 9.3%. Today that number sits at 7.1%. 

"I can say from personal experience that D.A.R.E. works." said Lemieux. "These are kids that are in Grade 11th and 12th now and they see me and say thank you because someone offered them a cigarette or drugs and they thought of me and walked away.” 

For the Timmins Police Service, the program means taking a more proactive approach to policing, ensuring that Timmins has good citizens making good choices down the line. "Policing in general is supposed to be proactive and a lot of it has become reactive with us getting a call and going to try and help the problem," Lemieux said. "We should prevent it from happening in the first place."

DARE graduation class from Labrador Straits Academy.  The DARE instructor (and in photo) is Cst. Josee Melanson, of the Forteau Detachment, "B" Division of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

In the 2009 - 2010 school year the RCMP of B Division (Province of Newfoundland and Labrador) directly responsible for completing 66 D.A.R.E. programs in 43 schools, and accessing 1300 students.

Training team members, Paul Harrison, Rick Lemieux and Facilitator Harry Lawrenson "ready to go with the new middle school curriculum 'Keeping It REAL'

Class Valedictorian Mark Wellwood,OPP with Canadian Recording Artist and D.A.R.E. champion, also a graduate in 2006, Michala Todd, "Swearing-In" the newest D.A.R.E. Officer graduates. Michala had each officer take an oath that they would "faithfully do their duty as a D.A.R.E. Officer to help kids resist drugs and violence".

Training Team, Left to right: Paul Harrison,OPP; Vicki Chalker, RCMP; Harry Lawrenson OPP Facilitator, Kristina Ramsi, Northfield NJ Police: and Rick Lemieux, Timmins Police Service.

Photo taken during the school visitation at a school near the Training site.  The officer is Renee Taylor, OPP, with her class.  It just happened to be "pajama day" and the kids had so much fun.

                                   Edmonton Police Service

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