GOOD IDEAS, BUT...

There's no doubt that Victoria needs to embark on a comprehensive course of
action to address the growing drug problem in the city's downtown core.
Unfortunately, the downtown action plan announced by Mayor Alan Lowe last
week failed to live up to its name.

Many of the proposed measures -- increased needle pick-up, expanded youth
detox services, improved intake procedures for psychiatric emergencies at
hospitals, more affordable housing and stepped up law enforcement -- are
indeed excellent ideas. But with the exception of the police, who have some
extra officers available due to the recent amalgamation of the Victoria and
Esquimalt departments, and needle pick-up, which can be handled by
volunteers, the city's action plan requires ongoing funding -- and where
that funding will come from is still a big question.

Vancouver Island Health Authority CEO Marilyn Rook said it will cost about
$1 million to set up a proposed sobering and assessment centre for people
suffering from addictions. Rook, however, had few answers about funding
sources.

It's clear from the number of addicted youth on downtown Victoria's streets
that expanding youth detox services would help tackle the problem. But
there was no money attached to that proposal either.

Lowe also called for better outreach and referral services for addicts, but
those will cost money too. So will increasing the amount of affordable
housing in Victoria, another item mentioned in the action plan.

Without funding, the city's action plan is little more than a wish list.

Mayor Lowe is not to blame for the lack of funding, although provincial and
federal agencies have been known to ante up more readily when they see a
financial commitment at the municipal level.

Much of the blame rests with the provincial and federal governments, who
are only beginning to accept the idea that addiction should be treated as a
health problem. As difficult as it may be during these times of fiscal
restraint, the provincial government in particular needs to take a closer
look at investing in these services.

Many argue that it's far cheaper in the long run to direct resources to the
prevention and cure side of the equation. Every drug addict that kicks his
or her habit stops being a drain on scarce support service resources and,
in theory at least, finds a job and contributes taxes to the system. In the
grand scheme of things, the money needed to properly treat, and hopefully
cure, drug addicts is a tiny drop in a giant bucket.

In addition to their simple reluctance to spend the money, public officials
are hyper-conscious of how voters will react to politicians perceived as
being too kind to drug addicts. This, perhaps, is one reason why Lowe has
waffled on the issue of bringing a safe injection site to Victoria. Still,
Lowe's position on the downtown drug problem appears to have softened amid
continuing media reports about downtown's problems and growing public pressure.

The mayor's comments in recent weeks increasingly refer to addiction as a
health problem and the action plan announced last week reflects that
recognition. It's too bad no one is ready just yet to come up with the
money to turn some of these good ideas into reality.