DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES OBJECT TO DETOX SITE

The proposed site for Red Deer's first detox centre downtown isn't
sitting well with some nearby business owners.

"I think they're being polite by having this meeting," said Sharon
Fisher, owner of Delicates Bra Boutique.

Her store is near the old paintball building (Scott Block) located at
4816 Gaetz Avenue, which is the proposed site for the detox centre.

An open house was held Tuesday to gauge and gather public response to
the site, which has to be approved by the Municipal Planning Commission.

The Safe Harbour Society landed a $750,000 annual grant last spring
for three years from The Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission
(AADAC) to operate the centre.

If approved, the centre will be equipped with a 20-mat shelter for
intoxicated clients as well as 20 beds for people who need to detoxify.

But Fisher is concerned about clients leaving the centre in the
morning following their stay.

She's had two break-ins over the last three years, and both were
drug-related, she said.

"I'm not against helping these people, but I hope (the planners) are
not jumping into this building without exploring several other options."

But Jim Taylor, the project's development manager, said the building
fits the bill perfectly in terms of space, location and floor plan.

The programs are also urgently needed locally, he said.

Taylor said the David Thompson Health Region has the highest rate in
the province for prescriptions for narcotics.

"Locating our facility in this building will allow us to address the
problems close to their source, problems that are right here in the
alley behind us and within a few blocks in any direction," he said.

But Murray Foster, manager of A Little Off The Top Barbers one block
over, said he sees evidence of drug activity already and doesn't wish
to see more.

"I'm totally, completely unhappy about it," he said of the proposed
site.

Foster said there wasn't enough research presented to convince him the
centre offers much of a solution in Red Deer.

"They didn't give a substantial answer to anything."

Meanwhile, Taylor said $300,000 has been committed towards upgrades
and renovations, and a retail space will also be available at the
front of the building.

"It can only be a good thing for everyone concerned if homeless
persons with alcohol or drug addictions are separated form their drugs
early in the evening and given a safe place to stay," he said.

"As fellow citizens of Red Deer, we have a moral obligation to help
them, and in return, the benefits to the community are many and long-term."

Input from the open house will now go to Parkland Community Planning
Services, which will report to the City's Inspections and Licensing
Department.

The Municipal Planning Commission will then decide whether to accept
or deny a development permit because of the area's commercial zoning.

If MPC approves their application, the detox centre could be in
operation by January.

Public input is welcome until Oct. 5 and can be forwarded to Nancy
Hackett of the Parkland Community Planning Services.