~
      ae
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Two
      Years
      on
      the
      Street
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Andrée
      Cazabon
      spent
      two
     
     
      years
      on
      the
      street,
      and
      now
      she
      has
     
     
      a
      story
      to
      tell.
      Still
      young,
      she
      bares
     
     
      the
      marks
      of
      shame,
      frustration
      and
     
     
      despair
      of
      a
      former
      street
      youth,
      but
     
     
      has
      a
      lightness
      of
      heart
      and
      an
      aura
     
     
      of
      hope
      unlike
      most.
     
    

    
     
      Cazabon
      has
      left
      the
      street,
     
     
      rid
      herself
      of
      drugs,
      and
      reunited
     
     
      with
      her
      family.
      She
      is
      now
      a
      direc-
     
     
      tor
      and
      has
      released
      a
      documentary.
     
     
      with
      the
      National
      Film
      Board
      of
     
     
      Canada
      (NFB)
      on
      life
      on
      the
      streets.
     
     
      Through
      Laurent
      and
      Cathy,
      two
     
     
      Montreal
      street
      youths,
      Cazabon
     
     
      not
      only
      paints
      a
      portrait
      of
      the
     
     
      street,
      but
      also
      a
      portrait
      of
      addic-
     
     
      tion,
      of
      survival
      and
      of
      pain:
      the
     
     
      street
      is
      a
      prison
      without
      bars
      and
     
     
      offers
      little
      hope
      of
      escape
      for
      the
     
     
      captive.
     
    

    
     
      In
      No
      Quick
      Fix,
      Cazabon
     
     
      pays
      careful
      attention
      to
      the
      parents
     
     
      of
      these
      youths,
      almost
      all
      of
      which
     
     
      are
      left
      to
      the
      sidelines
      to
      scour
      the
     
     
      streets
      in
      search
      of
      their
      drowning
     
     
      children.
      In
      his
      daughter’s
      film,
     
     
      Cazabon’s
      father
      re-reads
      letters
     
     
      written
      to
      his
      child
      while
      she
      haunt-
     
     
      ed
      the
      urban
      sidewalks
      and
      alleys,
     
     
      these
      letters
      speak
      eloquently
      of
      his
     
     
      grief.
     
    

    
     
      Cazabon
      said
      the
      film
      was
     
     
      never
      meant
      to
      be
      therapy
      as
      she
     
     
      had
      already
      been
      through
      that
      and
     
     
      has
      been
      clean
      for
      twelve
      years.
     
     
      She
      said
      No
      Quick
      Fix
      was
      an
     
     
      opportunity
      to
      make
      a
      documentary
     
     
      with
      a
      professional
      crew.
      Working
     
     
      with
      the
      NFB
      was
      an
      incredible
     
     
      experience,
      she
      added.
      And
      making
     
     
      films,
      said
      Cazabon,
      is
      pretty
      amaz-
     
     
      ing.
     
    

    
     
      “Tt
      would
      have
      cost
      me
      a
      lot
     
     
      less
      personally
      to
      get
      a
      good
      thera-
     
     
      pist
      if
      I
      had
      needed
      that,”
      she
      said,.
     
     
      “That
      was
      the
      last
      thing
      I
      wanted
      to
     
     
      do...make
      a
      heavy
      film.”
     
    

    
     
      When
      making
      a
      documen-
     
     
      tary
      such
      as
      this
      one,
      explained
     
    
   
   
    
     
      SSP
      PPPS
      AAS
      Pee
      EEREEBELS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FEE
      RE
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Cazabon,
      where
      you
      are
      literally
     
     
      chasing
      after
      participants,
      Cathy
     
     
      and
      Laurent
      for
      example,
      and
     
     
      where
      you
      have
      so
      much
      to
      learn,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      you
      do
      not
      want
      to
      add
      to
      your
      wor-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ries.
      Even
      the
      crew
      found
      the
      proj-
     
     
      ect
      demanding,
      probably
      one
      of
      the
     
     
      most
      difficult
      projects
      they
      had
     
     
      worked
      on,
      due
      to
      the
      heaviness
      of
     
     
      the
      subject
      matter.
      After
      a
      day
      of
     
     
      shooting.
      most
      probably
      felt
      like
     
     
      they
      needed
      therapy,
      Cazabon
      said.
     
    

    
     
      “So
      it
      was
      not
      so
      much
      a
     
     
      therapeutic
      journey,
      as
      much
      as
      it
     
     
      was
      that
      we
      felt
      like
      we
      had
      to
      wit-
     
     
      ness
      what
      the
      parents
      [of
      these
     
     
      street
      youths]
      go
      through,”
      she
      said.
     
     
      “It
      seems
      like
      it’s
      never
      been
      done
     
     
      before.”
     
    

    
     
      It
      took
      months
      to
      find
      par-
     
     
      ticipants,
      explained
      Cazabon,
      who
     
     
      went
      through
      the
      normal
      routes—
     
     
      casting
      and
      auditions—
      to
      find
     
     
      them
      for
      her
      project.
      However,
     
     
      Cazabon
      was
      forced
      to
      go
      back
      on
     
     
      the
      street
      where
      she
      interacted
      with
     
     
      street
      kids
      who
      in
      turn
      helped
      her
     
     
      find
      participants.
      Cathy
      and
     
     
      Laurent
      were
      two
      of
      them
      and
     
     
      when
      other
      participants
      did
      not
     
     
      show
      up
      for
      the
      shooting
      of
      the
      doc-
     
     
      penentary.
      both
      agreed
      to
      step
      in
     
    
   
   
    
     
      SLAMS
      ES
      ES
      Pe
      eG
      A
      TT
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tin
      Mini
      shaw
      tt
      ti
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      tell
      their
      story
      and
      that
      of
      their
     
     
      parents.
     
    

    
     
      But
      how
      does
      Cazabon
     
     
      reach
      out
      to
      her
      audience,
      how
      does
     
     
      she
      convince
      them
      that
      something
     
     
      must
      be
      done
      to
      bring
      an
      end
      to
      this
     
     
      problem?
      Too
      many
      of
      us
      refuse
      to
     
     
      acknowledge
      that
      drugs
      are
      a
      prob-
     
     
      lem
      on
      the
      streets
      of
      our
      communi-
     
     
      ty.
      Cazabon
      said
      when
      asked,
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      at
      a
      local
      high
      school
      had
      told
     
     
      her
      how
      easy
      it
      was
      to
      buy
      cocaine
     
     
      and
      heroin
      on
      the
      Island.
     
    

    
     
      Prince
      Edward
      Island
      is
      not
     
     
      immune
      to
      the
      reality
      of
      street
     
     
      youths.
     
    

    
     
      “IT
      met
      kids
      here
      that
      were
     
     
      street
      kids,”
      said
      Cazabon,
      “and
      of
     
     
      course
      they
      are
      not
      going
      to
      be
     
     
      street
      kids
      here
      in
      PEI,
      but
      they
     
     
      were
      street
      kids
      on
      the
      streets
      of
     
     
      Halifax,
      on
      the
      streets
      of
     
     
      Montreal.”
      It
      is
      that
      reality,
      that
     
     
      people
      have
      a
      hard
      time
      believing,
     
     
      she
      said.
     
    

    
     
      Nonetheless,
      Cazabon
      has
      a
     
     
      positive
      outlook
      on
      the
      Island’s
      sit-
     
     
      uation.
     
    

    
     
      “What
      I
      did
      see
      in
      PEI
      that
     
     
      really
      impressed
      me,
      was
      even
     
     
      though
      there
      is
      a
      lot
      of
      taboo
      around
     
     
      this
      [issue
      of
      drugs],
      and
      a
      lot
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      fA
      a
      SN
      mg
      tan
      Ath
      Ya
      ls
      DA
      i
      Siig
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
      SA
      ee
      st
      iin
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘not
      in
      my
      back
      yard’
      type
      of
      men-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tality,
      I
      still
      saw
      a
      genuine
      interest
     
     
      in
      doing
      something
      about
      this,”
      she
     
     
      said.
      “I
      think
      that’s
      really
      admirable
     
     
      because
      a
      lot
      of
      communities
      when
     
     
      they
      get
      out
      of
      denial;
      or
      they
      start
     
     
      looking
      at
      the
      issue,
      say
      ‘
      this
      is
      so
     
     
      overwhelming,
      what
      can
      we
      do?’,
     
     
      sort
      of
      throw
      in
      the
      towel
      before
     
     
      you
      even
      try.
      What
      I
      see
      in
      PEI,
     
     
      from
      the
      youth
      and
      the
      profession-
     
     
      als,
      is
      ‘ok,
      what
      can
      we
      do?’”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      One
      solution,
      suggests
     
     
      Cazabon,
      is
      going
      to
      the
      provincial
     
     
      health
      officials
      for
      help.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “If
      these
      kids
      were
      diabetic,
     
     
      and
      10
      years
      later
      we
      still
      had
      this
     
     
      problem,
      would
      we
      find
      it
      accept-
     
     
      able?
      No,”
      answered
      Cazabon.
      “So
     
     
      I
      think
      this
      is
      how
      we
      have
      to
      see
     
     
      this,
      as
      a
      health
      problem,
      not
      an
     
     
      individual
      problem.
     
    

    
     
      “It
      is
      happening
      systemati-
     
     
      cally
      all
      over,”
      she
      explained,
     
     
      “across
      barriers,
      social
      barriers,
     
     
      family
      barriers.
      “It’s
      happening
      10
     
     
      all
      kinds
      of
      kids,
      just
      like
      diabetes
     
     
      is
      happening.”
      )
     
    

    
     
      Cazabon
      strives
      for
      changé-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “T
      think
      there
      is
      a
      huge
      taboo
      with
     
    
   
   
    
     
      drugs
      and
      youth,
      and
      what
      I
      try
      1
     
     
      do
      with
      the
      film
      is
      advocate
      for
      ade-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      '
     
    
   
   
    
     
      J
      ih
      i
      tlh
      A
      lial
      t
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Z