Pubdate: Mon, 24 Oct 2005 Source: Parklander, The (CN AB) Copyright: 2005 Hinton Parklander Contact: http://www.hintonparklander.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/782 DETOX FACILITY NEEDS UNITED FRONT Hinton Parklander -- There is at least one thing rural municipalities and towns can agree on and that's the need for a meth-specific detoxification and rehabilitation centre outside of Calgary and Edmonton. Hinton town council is pushing for one and, apparently, other communities around the Yellowhead Region -- like Grande Cache and Drayton Valley -- are behind the initiative. The Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) recently held a near unanimous vote in support of lobby efforts for a rural detox centre. This is all well and good and, without a doubt, a momentous start to the campaign. This is essentially the same alliance of municipal leaders who helped spearhead the push for more police funding last fall (but wouldn't it make sense to push some of the surplus money towards rural law enforcement, just as an unexpected bonus? Hmm? But we digress.) One major difference in the alliance for more police funding and the alliance for rural detox is the former initiative was to the equal benefit of all partners. The push for a rural detox centre will not be the same because, in the end, one partner will have the centre placed in its community. This is likely one of the reasons -- beyond logistical ones -- why the AUMA did not discuss location at its meeting. If this initiative does begin to realize its goal, there will be several communities jockeying to house the facility. Hinton, for example, has already lobbied to convert the Blue Lake Lodge properties into a facility when the lease is up in two years. If this lobbying effort is to be successful, communities around the province, and specifically in the Yellowhead Region, will have to put their narrow interests aside and focus on the greater good. -T.W.