NEW METHADONE CLINIC QUESTIONED

The decision to locate a new methadone clinic in Kirkland Lake
continues to raise controversy and concerns.

The new methadone clinic was the subject of considerable discussion at
Monday's Kirkland Lake Police Services Board meeting.

Kirkland Lake's Mayor Bill Enouy, who is also chair of the police
services board, is very upset the town was not included in the
decisions to locate a methadone clinic in Kirkland Lake and has still
received no information about the clinic or who is behind the new clinic.

Councillor Al French, a police service board member, is not happy with
the way the situation had been handled. He noted in the past when
projects that could be considered controversial were proposed there
were a public consultations and a public education process that was
followed, but with the methadone clinic that didn't happen. Police
Service Board Member Jim Brookfield is very familiar with the history
methadone as a treatment for drug addicts. He said it was first
offered in the federal prison system and is a very effective form of
treatment if the person really wants to beat their addiction.

He continued that the methadone takes away the physiological urges for
drugs but if the person doesn't want to stay drug free the program
isn't effective.

Brookfield also told the Kirkland Lake Police Services Board that if a
prison inmate is on a methadone program and is being released one of
the factors taken into consideration on where that inmate will
relocate is access to a methadone treatment program.

He said methadone works very well but if you go off it you are back
into addiction and people don't realize how strong addiction is.

Brookfield said the question that should be asked is if we are having
a methadone clinic here are they bringing people in from outside the
area.

A number of local people are currently receiving methadone.

Brookfield, who is a local dentist, said it is not unusual in his
practice to see people who are using methadone to help beat their drug
addiction.

When Enouy questioned OPP Staff Sgt. Don Goard said if the methadone
clinic would take pressure off or add to the drug problem Sgt. Goard
said it depends who you talk to.

That he has heard a lot of negative from other location where they had
a clinic such as Chapleau and Elliott Lake. He continued that he
talked to another person who knows someone that has been on the
program for many years and it works.

Goard explained that you don't get high off methadone it helps you
deal with the physiological affects, the methadone takes away the urge
to use drugs.

After hearing that Enouy expressed his displeasure that the town
didn't get a visit from anyone behind the operation to give the town
the education part of it.

He said he is concerned about the increased activity and people coming
into town who want to get on the program and couldn't stay on it
because that would increase the number of people in town using drugs.
Enouy said he could be totally wrong that is his opinion.

Enouy again put a challenge out for the people behind methadone clinic
to come to town to enlighten council so council and the media could
inform the community about the methadone clinic and what it does and
what the figures and facts are from other communities.

The mayor continued that he doesn't want to see people on drugs and he
is happy if methadone program works but he doesn't want another 150
people who are drug addicts coming to town.

Sgt. Goard agreed with the mayor's comments and informed the board
that there have been multiple break and enters at the location of the
methadone clinic.

He said it wasn't well known the exact location of the clinic so a
number of businesses in the immediate area have been broken into.

Enouy said he believes that people in the community should have some
say in terms of what social services are offered in the community.

The mayor said he wants the people behind the clinic to come to
council because people in town are asking him about the clinic and he
has no knowledge of it.

He continued "somewhere somebody has to be accountable to the people
of Kirkland Lake. You can't just in our society do things. I think I
got elected to be the spokesperson for council and the rest of the
people in town as well, we want to here from these people."

To date the mayor said no one has written, phoned or visited the town
who is involved with the clinic.