CCSS alumni charged in drug bust
Julian Strongitharm
A former executive of the Camosun College Student Society (CCSS) has been arrested on charges relating to a major Canadian drug operation.
Julian Strongitharm was arrested and charged along with 12 other people in St. John’s, Newfoundland, in early January. The arrests were the result of a four-month investigation called Operation Razorback, led by the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary with help from police in Richmond, Vancouver, Saanich, and Victoria.
Strongitharm is a former University Transfer student at Camosun College. He first got involved with the CCSS in 2002 when he was named students with disabilities director.
“He was a good member of the student society when he was here,” says Gord Rant, a friend of Strongitharm’s and support staffer at the CCSS.
Strongitharm was elected as external executive in April, 2003 and later served as a Lansdowne executive in 2005. Last semester, he was enrolled at UVic, taking classes to complete his degree in International Relations.
“He was an excellent executive,” says Michel Turcotte, director of operations for the CCSS.
“He’s a nice guy. Very personable, very easy to get along with,” says Jaya Pai, financial resource coordinator for the CCSS. “He was quite an active external executive.”
In his time as a member of the CCSS, Strongitharm led a campaign against the implementation of the BC Liberals’ $6 training wage. Over the years, the CCSS had hired Strongitharm to help out with CCSS events such as Welcome Week.
“Julian was very active, capable, fun-loving, and had lots of energy [during his time with the CCSS]. That made him much more approachable from a student’s point of view,” says Turcotte.
According to Turcotte, Strongitharm showed no signs of being involved in illegal activities. The last time he spoke with Strongitharm was in December.
“There was certainly no indication of what happened recently,” says Turcotte.
Turcotte was surprised when he heard of Strongitharm’s arrest and speculates that he had substantial student debt.
“I was shocked at first,” says Turcotte. “Then I started thinking… Up until last semester, Julian was a student at UVic. In BC over the last decade, tuition has gone up 300 percent. Student-loan debt has gone up considerably. Maybe the government is forcing some students to make difficult choices.”
According to Turcotte, recent statistics are showing an emerging class-divide in the student population.
“If you want to become a doctor you have to pretty much come from a rich family,” says Turcotte. “I sometimes wonder who the real criminals are.”
Although she couldn’t comment on Turcotte’s statement directly, minister of advanced education and labour market development Moira Stilwell doesn’t agree that the government is making it more difficult to afford postsecondary education.
“BC’s average undergraduate tuition fees at public institutions remain one of the most affordable in the country,” says Stilwell, “and annual increases have been limited at two percent, lower than the national average for the past three years.”
Pai disagrees that high tuition fees are driving some students to illegal means in order to pay for their education. And even if they did, students always have a choice.
“However hard-pressed people are for money, I don’t think they should put themselves in danger. It doesn’t mean they have to go and do something drastic,” says Pai.
Strongitharm is now back in Victoria after being granted bail in Newfoundland. He contacted Nexus to be interviewed, but was later advised by his lawyer not to talk to the press about the case.
Strongitharm says he hopes to continue his studies at UVic in the future and eventually get a Master’s degree in Conflict Resolution.
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