METHADONE CLINICS

Council's Correct Decision

After much debate and many delays, city council did the right thing
when it voted Monday night to establish a buffer zone that would
prevent methadone clinics from locating within 150 metres of Windsor
homes.

The situation came to a head last year, when Lincoln Road residents
awoke one morning to discover the Erie St. Clair Clinic had literally
moved into their neighbourhood "in the dead of night, under cover of
darkness," as one homeowner described it.

It took several days to discover this was actually a methadone clinic,
which expected to treat up to 400 people a day. Residents also learned
that the city bylaw was written in such a way that there was nothing
they could do about it.

A year later, there are about 600 people attending the clinic daily,
and neighbours have complained about vandalism, loitering, trespassing
and trash -including needles and empty methadone cups. They are also
frustrated because their property values have declined and they can't
sell their homes.

Despite council's decision, the Lincoln Road clinic is grandfathered,
along with three others, and that's unfortunate for the people who
bought their homes in good faith. It should not be located in a
residential neighbourhood; such clinics are simply not compatible.

Residents have appealed to council several times since April 2010, and
each time the debate has become emotional -on both sides. It was no
different Monday, when opponents of the buffer zone charged that
prohibiting methadone clinics in certain areas would stigmatize
patients struggling with their addictions.

"How can you possibly consider supporting this recommendation when
this serves as a slippery slope to the marginalization of the very
people you represent?" federal drug prosecutor Richard Pollock asked.

In fact, there was every reason to support the recommendation, and it
did not go unnoticed by Lincoln Road residents that those who
criticized council's decision do not live in the affected area.

"We don't have anything against treatment," said resident Kathy
Huisman. "We have a problem with where they put it." That's exactly
right, and we concur with those who believe they weren't told in
advance that the Erie St. Clair Clinic would service methadone
patients because the operators anticipated opposition. One can assume
that's also why the move was made at night.

A frustrated Coun. Fulvio Valentinis brought up an excellent point
that was likely lost in the moment: Where is the Erie St. Clair LHIN
in all of this? Methadone is regulated by the Province of Ontario and
administered through the College of Physicians and Surgeons under the
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

It shouldn't fall to municipalities to deal with the issue. City
councils shouldn't have to wrestle with the need to protect the
property rights of residents and at the same time protect the privacy
of those seeking treatment.

Ironically, those individuals would likely have more privacy if they
were to receive methadone through a hospital, pharmacy or large
medical complex located in a centralized, commercial area. These are
the kinds of facilities that have thousands of people going through
their doors, assuring a greater chance of anonymity.

Nobody wants to deny drug addicts the right to treatment. They do,
however, want them to be treated in the right setting. While council's
decision for future clinics is a good one, we can't forget that LHIN
let everyone down on this score.