CRACK PIPE END RUN UPSETS O'BRIEN

Mayor Demands To Know Why Province Paying $287,000 For A Program That
Council Killed

Mayor Larry O'Brien isn't happy that a crack pipe distribution
program has been revived by the provincial government last month, so
he has written a letter to Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Jim
Watson, demanding an explanation.

Mr. O'Brien's letter to Mr. Watson, the MPP for Ottawa West-Nepean,
asks why the province is supporting the program that provides drug
users with clean crack pipes, which councillors voted last summer to
discontinue.

The controversial program is designed to limit the spread of
communicable diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C, by way of reducing
the sharing of pipes among drug users.

In his letter, Mr. O'Brien expresses his "disappointment" with the
way the Liberal government has chosen to wade into the city's affairs.

Although the province did inform the Somerset West Community Health
Centre, which applied for the funding, Mr. O'Brien said city
officials were not consulted.

"I wanted to express my disappointment with your government's
decision after Ottawa City Council overwhelmingly decided last July
to cancel this program," he writes in the letter, which was faxed to
Mr. Watson on Friday.

"Most distressing to me is that it appears this decision was taken
without consultation with council or staff of the City of Ottawa."

Mr. O'Brien closes his letter with mention of his desire to find
"common ground" with Mr. Watson's government and its position on the
crack pipe program.

Mr. O'Brien told the Citizen yesterday that he thought it was
"significantly more important" that the province help establish a
residential drug treatment facility for Eastern Ontario, rather than
revive the crack pipe program.

"I have no desire to create any major conflict," said Mr. O'Brien,
noting that he would like to understand how the government came to
its decision to override city council. "I just think the province
owes us an explanation."

Last July, council voted 15-7 in favour of a motion by Councillor
Rick Chiarelli to kill the program, on the basis that there was
"absolutely no evidence" it had reduced the spread of communicable diseases.

Council's decision was in direct opposition to the repeated urging of
the city's chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Salisbury, who
said the program was saving lives as well as millions of dollars in
future medical expenses.

In December, the province announced it would provide $287,000 to pay
for two outreach workers, including their supplies and
transportation, to keep the crack pipe program going in 2008.

Since the city's decision would not have taken effect until Jan. 1,
the crack pipe program has continued uninterrupted.

Mr. Watson did not respond to calls from the Citizen, but his
spokesman said the minister's office had not received the letter.

"We will forward that letter off to the Ministry of Health if and
when it is received," said Adam Grachnik, adding that Mr. Watson
intends to "get all the right answers."