Pubdate: Wed, 27 Aug 2008
Source: Vancouver Courier (CN BC)
Copyright: 2008 Vancouver Courier
Contact:  http://www.vancourier.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/474
Author: Peter MacKinnon
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n768/a09.html

INSITE CRITICS INJECT IGNORANCE

To the editor:

Re: "Street smart cop gets the boot," Aug. 8.

Mark Hasiuk suggests that Dave Dickson was released because of his 
outspoken opposition to Vancouver's harm-reduction strategies.

One hopes that political considerations don't determine such 
decisions, but it is not uncommon for employers to expect employees 
to go along with policies they disagree with, so who knows.

But that is not the part of Hasiuk's opinion piece that caught my 
attention. He refers to the harm reduction strategy as "largely 
untested." He claims it is a "failed policy which promotes 
destructive behaviour in Canada's most troubled neighbourhood."

I wonder what possible evidence Hasiuk has that justifies him to make 
such claims (other than the opinion of Mr. Dickson)?

The reason Dr. John Hepburn scolded the federal Conservatives is 
surely not because they questioned Insite's effectiveness (university 
professors welcome and expect dissent), but because Mr. Harper 
ignores the significant number of academic studies which show Insite 
to be effective. It appears that Hasiuk is guilty of the same wilful ignorance.

Peter MacKinnon,

Vancouver
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom