METHADONE CLINIC DEBATE PUSHES REVIEW OF ZONING LAWS

City zoning bylaws will be studied for possible changes following the
controversy that swirled when a methadone clinic was forced out of an
industrial area.

Council's decision yesterday came as Second Chance Recovery continues
to search for a new site after it was booted from an industrial area
in Highland Park and is now temporarily treating its patients in a
Braeside strip mall, where area residents are against its presence.

Ald. Diane Colley-Urquhart, who supported Ald. Brian Pincott's motion,
said putting the methadone clinics in a light industrial area is not
the best approach because there are residences near them.

"It isn't. It's a reactive approach," she said after the motion
passed.

"We need to pick it up and as a city we need to have a drug
prevention, rehabilitation, harm reduction and enforcement strategy."

She said those are the four important items in a drug strategy so
residents don't cry "not in my backyard" when such clinic applies for
a permit. Colley-Urquhart feels Second Chance's move to the Braeside
community disrespected the residents because they were not informed.

"It caused people to form attitude towards the clients that probably
were unjustified, but the way they handled it, was really, really
unfortunate," she said.

"Now you've got to go back and try to undo many of the things that
were said and it's always hard to do that."

The methadone clinic is really a unique treatment facility with
supervised drug medications given, she said.

Administration is expected to come back to council with a report by
November.