RECOVERY HOME DEBATE REVIVED

Public Hearings Will Be Held For Drug-And-Alcohol Recovery Homes.

That's the promise of the Team Richmond/Green Party alliance, who issued a
press release promising to hold public hearings on recovery homes if a
majority of its members are elected to council on Nov. 20.

The Team/Green alliance claims the current city council fumbled the ball on
the issue by not giving the public a chance to air their views on one such home.

They're referring to the Turning Point recovery home on Odlin Road that in
the spring was targeted in nightly protests by many upset residents who
feared their neighbourhood would deteriorate with the home's presence.

The residents were also upset that a public meeting wasn't held regarding
Turning Point because that facility has nine beds and the current public
process doesn't allow for public meetings until the home has more than 10 beds.

The alliance says that it fully supports recovery homes, and doesn't want
them to fall prey to packs of fearful residents who will steadfastly oppose
it for their neighbourhood. But that doesn't mean the public can't help set
better guidelines, according to Team Richmond president Sharon MacGougan and
Green Party candidate Kevan Hudson who issued the joint press release.

They want Richmond to follow the lead of Surrey and Burnaby that allow for
the public to have input. Vancouver, for example, allows the public to give
input when a facility has six beds.

"We believe a more balanced, open and more democratic approach is needed,"
Hudson said in a prepared statement.

MacGougan said residents have expressed genuine concerns about recovery homes.

"Residents cited inadequate parking, excessive noise from the coming and
going of up to 10 residents and staff, locations too close to schools and
playgrounds and inappropriate choices of locations within the
neighbourhoods," she stated.

Not so fast, says NPA Coun. Ken Johnston. First, the city has guidelines in
place. Secondly, the city has limited responsibility for recovery homes
since they largely fall under the realm of the provincial government.
Thirdly, holding formal public hearings wouldn't be fair for recovery home
operators, he said.

He predicted opponents to recovery homes would flood public hearings to
denounce their existence, leaving few areas for them to be established, he said.

"The only problem I would have with a public hearing concept would be that a
lot of times the local opposition would come out, and they'd always be
against it. Then they'd have no where to go," he said.

"There's group homes all over Richmond and most of us don't even know where
they are." Rather than formal public hearings, Johnston advocates the city
set up informal information meetings so residents meet with facility
operators and discuss issues beforehand.