JOB CUTS HIT ADDICTIONS CENTRE

Provincial Funding Reductions Force Move

A decision by the Doer government to cut back on funding to the
Addictions Foundation of Manitoba has forced the agency to cut staff
and close 14 treatment beds.

John Borody, CEO of the Addictions Foundation, said the province cut
its funding by $150,000 and told the agency it had to find another
$450,000 in its budget to cover a three per cent salary increase to
its staff.

While the total cuts are equal to about 4.5 per cent of agency's 2003
budget of $13 million, Borody said they are having a great impact on
its operations.

"You always get less than what you asked for, but this is the first
time we've had to cut a program" because of provincial funding
shortfall, Borody said.

Borody said the cuts come at a difficult time, as requests for
services are increasing as are demands for treatment.

Borody said the treatment program was running at about 50 per cent
occupancy, adding he expects about half of the clients can be absorbed
into the AFM's other facilities and the rest will be referred to a
similar program at Health Sciences Centre. Defended

Healthy Living Minister Jim Rondeau defended the cuts. Rondeau said
the AFM and the HSC were operating similar programs but at less than
capacity, adding, combining them into one at HSC made it a better
program and would allow the AFM to concentrate on other services.

Rondeau said forcing the AFM to find money for a staff salary increase
was a result of the tough times the province has been going through.

"We've given them generous increases that averaged 3.5 per cent
annually in the past but we just don't have the money this year,"
Rondeau said. "What they have to do is find a better way to use the
resources they do have."

Borody said the AFM had already imposed a hiring freeze and eliminated
two management positions.

Borody said 10 nursing positions associated with the 14 beds will be
eliminated. He said that one nurse will be transferred and three
others will be offered positions as counsellors or adult educators,
adding they have equivalent pay scales. He said the other six staff
were term or casuals.