PROPOSED ADDICTION FACILITY STIRS FEARS

Withdrawal Centre Slated For Rothwell Heights

A proposal before the city to change zoning on a Rothwell Heights
property to allow for an addictions centre has left some residents
worried about safety.

The zoning amendment would see a single, detached home at 1777
Montreal Rd. converted into a withdrawal management centre for 26
people with alcohol and/or drug addictions. The facility, which would
house a maximum of 20 men and six women, would be staffed by two to
three staff members at all times.

A first step in the addiction recovery process, clients at the centre
would typically stay for about a week.

"A lot of people, rightly or wrongly, are afraid," says Jane Brammer
of the Rothwell Heights Property Owners' Association. "(There are)
image-driven fears of drug addiction."

Some of those fears were highlighted at a public meeting in late
October.

Brammer notes there were concerns the centre would attract drug
dealers to the area while users would break into nearby homes to get
money to pay for their drugs.

"Some images portrayed were extreme," Brammer says.

"People who check into the facility do so on strength of purpose," she
continues, adding they are trying to solve a problem and aren't just
pouring in off the street bringing drug dealers along.

She indicates a Rothwell Heights resident went door-to-door in the
Market area, where there's currently a facility, asking if there was
any trouble. Most people didn't know it even existed, Brammer says.

She points to media and television as some sources of images that
evoke fear, but notes it's also a value judgment. Those who have never
had an addiction problem or have never known someone with an addiction
may not understand the nature of the issue, she inidicates.

"I think the reality is it can happen to a lot of us," Brammer says,
noting over 50 per cent of addictions are to pharmaceuticals.

According to city documents, 18 written submissions were presented to
the city outlining concerns about safety, the potential for property
values to decrease, and arguments that the proposed centre would not
fit in with the residential character of the community.

Some wrote that the location was not appropriate given its proximity
to a residential area, schools, group homes for youth and seniors'
residences.

Staff at the city have noted that Montreal Road is an arterial road,
which acts as a major public corridor. Calling the stretch of road
from Ogilvie to Blair "unique," Brammer adds that it's comprised of
residential, institutional and some commercial units.

"It doesn't really affect the fabric of the neighbourhood," she
says.

While the community association recognizes there is a "great deal of
concern among some residents," it also acknowledges there are larger
issues at play.

Brammer says the association will continue to liaise with the
proponent - who she describes as "cooperative" - during the site plan
approval through to occupancy and operation.

"We certainly want to build a neighbourly relationship with the
operator," she says.