Why wait for spring? Do it now.

When we last discussed the deplorable state of addiction services in the province of British Columbia, I was hoping Premier Christy Clark and her government – with enough discussion – might be persuaded to take decisive action and do something, anything.

A number of MLAs from the Liberal side of the house informed the premier that they were going to have discussions with addiction residential treatment facilities throughout the province.

I am sure most British Columbians, given the choice, would rather the government pay the cost ($1,000 per month) of sending anyone who wants to go to an addiction treatment facility, rather than pay for the cost of the mayhem that addicts perpetrate.

The costs of dealing with things that active addicts in psychosis cause society are staggering.

It is estimated by some that as much as 50 per cent of our emergency services’ time is expended dealing with things addicts are responsible for.

In addition to the hard costs, the psychological damage done to a society when they see the homelessness and crime is immeasurable.

There are dozens of faith, abstinence-based residential treatment facilities in the province. Most of them receive no government assistance. A lot of these organizations have decades’ worth of recorded experience, and thousands of people have their lives back because of the work these organizations do.

Apparently, before Christmas, the Liberal caucus was given a PowerPoint presentation on the committee’s findings. Although no one is talking (caucus solidarity and all that), I am advised that the majority of the caucus was staggered by the committee’s presentation.

Apparently, the stories the committee heard about intimidation and bullying by the health districts convinced them not to inform the Minister of Health about the presentation until the day of the meeting, fearing that the health bureaucracy would actually force the cancellation of the committee’s report to the Liberal caucus.

I am advised that the health district’s bureaucracy responded by issuing a statement that they were concerned about unapproved treatment facilities in B.C., as the result of a death at one facility.

As a result, they are going to require that all treatment facilities comply with new regulations. I am advised by someone who has read the proposed regulations that they will effectively eliminate the model of abstinence-based 90-day programs from our province.

The health ministry prefers a model of harm reduction, with methadone maintenance on an out-patient or a 30-day treatment basis, in a government-approved, unionized facility.

• More at www.mrtimes.com, search “deregulate”

– Gordy Robson is a former Maple Ridge mayor and a local businessman who was raised in this community. His opinion column appears Tuesdays in the print and/or online versions of The TIMES. Questions and reactions can be emailed to Gordy c/o editorial@mrtimes.com.

Although I have not recently heard the NDP’s stated position on this issue (or any other issue, for that matter), I am pretty sure they will be backing the health district’s unionized positions.

If a government removed addiction services from the health ministry and funded all the proven, existing organizations, the organizations would flourish, and if funding was secure, they would multiply.

We need at least 1,000 more beds. That would qualify as doing something.

Premier Clark is about ready to call a session of the legislature, and if you have been counting, she is very close to losing her majority.

If the committee members feel strongly enough about this issue and walk over and join the growing number of independents in the house, we may not have to wait for a May 14 election.

Why wait for spring?

Just saying…

– Gordy Robson is a former Maple Ridge mayor and a local businessman who was raised in this community. His opinion column appears Tuesdays in the print and/or online versions of The TIMES. Questions and reactions can be emailed to Gordy c/o editorial@mrtimes.com.