PARENTS STAGE PROTEST TO SHOW DISPLEASURE OVER SITE OF CLINIC

Armed with protest signs, a crowd of around 30 people gathered outside
of the proposed site for a pain management and dependency clinic in
Aldershot yesterday (Tuesday) morning, decrying it's too close to
Maplehurst Public School.

On the first day of the new school year, residents convened in front
of 444 Plains Rd. E., just west of the grade school, carrying signs
stating 'Say No To The Meth Clinic' and 'Meth Isn't Cool Near A School'.

Some are fearful of the kind of clientele that will frequent the
clinic, co-owned by well-known businessperson Peggi DeGroote, as it
offers methadone as one element of its treatment options. It's slated
to open by the end of October.

Protest organizer Lynda Dobson, with nine-year-old twins enrolled at
nearby Holy Rosary School on Plains Road East, said she doesn't
approve of the location and is worried kids will be exposed to people
battling their addictions. She organized the protest following a
public meeting on Saturday in which residents gathered to talk about
the clinic.

The goal of the demonstration is to bring awareness, Dobson said,
adding she's "absolutely not" against such a business opening up in
the city.

"These children also have rights," she said of the clinic's proximity
to Maplehurst.

Halton District School Board trustee Mary Dilly attended the rally and
said her phone has been ringing constantly as parents have called
concerned about the clinic.

She said she is not opposed to it opening, but believes the location
is wrong and said a more suitable site would be inside Joseph Brant
Memorial Hospital, beside it or at a medical clinic.

Meanwhile, the public board says some parents have threatened to pull
their children out of school over the clinic's location.

Odette Bartnicki, superintendent of education for the board, said
Friday at least two parents have called about possibly withdrawing
their kids from Maplehurst P. S.

She said the board would have liked consultation about the clinic to
alleviate any concerns parents might have. "This has brought a
considerable amount of upset because of the unknown," she said. "Who
are the staff of the clinic? How are they certified and trained?"

DeGroote has said her clinic will include doctors, a pharmacist,
counselling and other services. The hours of operation are still to be
decided and there's so far a list of six candidates willing to work at
the clinic, she said.

The clinic has "nothing to hide", DeGroote said, and is trying to fill
a community need when it comes to chronic pain issues and chemical
dependency.

The vast majority - 98 to 99 per cent - of clients accessing services
would be people dependent on prescription drugs like OxyContin or
Percocet, DeGroote said.

Methadone is one of the treatment options and would be decided between
the doctor and the patient, she said. The doctor, she said, would bill
OHIP for services rendered like any general practitioner does.