Pubdate: Mon, 19 Jan 2004
Source: Surrey Now (CN BC)
Copyright: 2004 Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc., A Canwest Company
Contact:  http://www.thenownewspaper.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1462
Author: Christine Eden

CITY SUCKER PUNCHED BUT STILL LACKS DETOX CENTRE

The Editor,

I have just left city hall and the presentation to council by Mike Wilson 
of Phoenix Recovery Centre.

I am thoroughly disgusted that this will even go to public hearing. Since 
Jan. 9, 2003, Wilson has been broadcasting his proposal which contained a 
medical detox. Now that he has 80 per cent of the $5 million needed for 
this centre, where is the detox? Nowhere. He does not plan to have one.

He might have a social detox. Now I have been working in the recovery 
industry for over 14 years and I have never heard of a social detox. What 
we have here is a glorified recovery house. City hall never asked him if he 
planned to have federal beds. He never went to the nearby seniors home to 
see if they approved. So unless this city rises and gets out to the public 
hearing Jan. 26, the City of Surrey will have a $5 million recovery house 
to add to the dozens that already exist.

We need the promised detox, not another recovery house. All I can say is 
that the City of Surrey has just been sucker punched with a $5-million project.

Christine Eden Surrey
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom