B.C. SCRAPS RECOVERY RULES

The province is scrapping strict laws that regulate alcohol and drug
recovery homes - a move that unravels years of work by the city and region.

Recently crafted legislation governing recovery homes will be axed, as part
of the province's deregulation initiative.

"We felt it was a piece of over-regulation that didn't make sense," B.C.
Minister of Health Colin Hansen said Monday.

"It wasn't producing results people want."

The news surprised city officials and the chief licensing officer with the
South Fraser Health Region.

Paul Hundal, responsible for enforcing the legislation, said he hadn't been
informed about the pending change.

"All I knew is that it was under active consideration."

Hansen said he made the decision a month and a half ago, and the health
region should be aware of that.

Hundal said he'll continue to enforce the legislation until the province
tells him to stop.

Coun. Dianne Watts said Hansen's decision undoes two and a half years work
by the city and the region to bring recovery homes under control.

"You've got to be kidding, are they really going to go through with that?"
Watts said.

"Unbelievable...to scrap that whole program just takes us a giant step
backwards."

In 1998, Surrey was home to more than 50 recovery homes.

Watts said many of those were mismanaged, failing to feed clients properly
or evicting them after accepting their housing cheques.

The next year, the province made recovery homes subject to regulations
under the Community Care Facilities Act.

The law required operators to provide proper staffing levels, acceptable
menus and a professional nurse on site, along with building requirements.
Hardev Randhawa spent $50,000 bringing Cloverdale's Path to Freedom up to
regional health standards.

He's still paying off a $30,000 mortgage for the upgrades, no longer
required by law.

"That's not good news," Randhawa said.

"I didn't even pay all my debt yet."

Other recovery home operators felt the regulations were unnecessary and
onerous. In fact, the number of drug and alcohol recovery homes in Surrey
has dropped in two years from 54 to about a dozen.

SFHR has licensed only four homes, including Path to Freedom.

Cumbersome regulations are wrong, Hansen said, adding they don't produce
results.

Recovery homes will still have to clear the city's rezoning process, but
local legislation can only limit size, location and land use. issues.