FIND MIDDLE GROUND

It's Strike Two For The Location Of The Proposed Detox And Mat
Centre.

It is a scenario that will now force both sides of the debate to find
and exercise ultimate will to come up with a fair and balanced solution.

Opponents are no doubt happy with last week's Subdivision and
Development Appeal Board decision to reject the second proposed location.

But the fact remains the City of Red Deer desperately needs this
service.

There are too many practicing drug addicts and alcoholics whose lives
depend on it.

We think the location of a detox should be in the downtown core where
clients, most of them without means to travel, will have the easiest
access to support services.

The first proposed location at the Scott Block at 4816 Gaetz Avenue
angered business owners in the downtown core.

The second choice at 5409 50th Avenue raised the ire of homeowners,
and the appeal board agreed it was "generally incompatible" with the
neighbourhood, and revoked an earlier Municipal Planning Commission
ruling to allow the location.

The Safe Harbour Society now has to go back to the drawing
board.

The task before them is daunting, and the society has to somehow find
middle ground between the best location for detox clients and
addressing the concerns of neighbours.

At the very least it has the appeal board decision to use as reference
points but hopefully members of this board will also come to realize
that a detox will never ever receive unanimous support in any community.

As well, board members must remember the needs of the many in our
community must always outweigh the concerns of the few, even if
applications carry flaws.

The only certainty in this long debate is hundreds if not thousands of
future lives depend on a detox service. Addictions in the city have
already ruined countless lives, and countless more will be in jeopardy
in the future if a facility for Red Deer is not made available.

Local citizens can not bury their heads in the sand and say the city
can and should do without a detox and mat program.

Finding an agreeable location, hopefully in the downtown core, will
demand sacrifices, tolerance, and understanding.

There will never be complete satisfaction and agreement from
everyone.

The Safe Harbour Society should now work closely with the city to pick
at least three downtown sites, ones that pass all zoning requirements,
and bring them forward to a public hearing.

>From there, the society should then pick the best site while doing
their utmost to address the inevitable community concerns. Not
everyone will be satisfied but sometimes the best we can do is the
best we can do.

For Red Deer to continue with a never-ending debate, with appeal
boards repeatedly revoking decisions, is only needlessly delaying a
vital service at the detriment of many citizens.

It is time for everyone to first do their homework, then reach out to
those who have legitimate concerns, and finally to make this happen.

The detox project is too important for this community to allow petty
differences to destroy the most important goal - to make our city a
better place to live for everyone.