MLA SEEKS ACTION ON DRUG COUNSELLING

Steinbach MLA Kelvin Goertzen has asked the provincial government to
take immediate action to reduce the long wait time for drug addiction
counselling in Steinbach.

Goertzen said statistics show the wait time to enter community
addiction counseling in Steinbach is the longest in the province.

Statistics from an Access to Information request filed by Goertzen
show that in November there was a 56-day wait to enter the Steinbach
treatment program. That compares to wait times of 18 days in Altona,
seven days in Selkirk, 21 days in Morden, two days in The Pas and five
in Flin Flon.

Goertzen says that, last he heard, drug addiction counseling in
Steinbach was being handled by a single part-time position, while
places like Flin Flon have access to large residential treatment
facilities. Many counseling issues here in the Southeast end up being
referred on to Winnipeg.

"For some time I have urged the NDP government to take the issue of
addiction treatment seriously in all parts of the province. It is
clear from these statistics that the southeastern part of the province
is being critically underfunded when it comes to fighting addictions
and the consequences can be tragic," Goertzen said in a statement yesterday.

In a letter to Healthy Living Minister Kerri-Irvin Ross, Goertzen
urges an immediate increase in the funding provided to the Addictions
Foundation of Manitoba to provide drug addiction services to the
southeastern part of the province.

"Asking a young person or adult battling drug addiction to wait two
months for help is not much different than simply refusing them help
all together. I urge you and your government to finally take this
issue seriously and ensure that the southeastern part of Manitoba
receives increased funding to fight drug addiction," the letter states.

Goertzen said he is concerned the government perceives the social
problems experienced by youth and adults in southern rural Manitoba as
less of a priority than those in other parts of the province.

"Social problems, whether drug addiction or mental illness, do not
have boundaries. They reach into every area of the province and there
needs to be equal access to these services for all Manitobans," said
Goertzen.