Brantford Mayor Chris Friel (the second to do so) entertained an interview-via-Twitter with Allison Leonard, a Laurier Brantford journalism student. The topic of the day? The Victoria Park Clinic in downtown Brantford.
The mayor’s point on profit-making on the backs of addicts is well taken.
The private sector has stepped up to provide these addiction services — obviously because there is profit in the methadone business. The fact they’ve taken to it so readily does beg the question of WHY public-sector or not-for-profit corporations aren’t doing this pharmaceutical service.
I don’t think, however, that a different owner would change the friction this clinic causes. I also don’t think that friction would be any less grating if the clinic was moved to a different part of the city— the neighbours wouldn’t like it regardless of where it was located.
The city has to be intelligent if it’s going to step into this fray— regulating this based on clientele could very well be seen as discriminatory and you can’t change zoning in Ontario to chase away classes of people you don’t like. Rather than holding a stick, it needs to extend a carrot and work with the people willing and able to offer this service.
As to location, the clinic should be located where it can be accessed by its clientele— meaning, where many of them live, spend their time and can reach via all forms of transit (including by foot). Money has spoken and led to a downtown location— the company that owns this runs the medical centre in the Garden Avenue / 403 area, so I have a feeling if they thought they could do their business there it would already have moved.
Categories: Brantford, Dissention in the ranks
Brantford
the company that owns this runs the medical centre in the Garden Avenue / 403 area, so I have a feeling if they thought they could do their business there it would already have moved. If they moved it out to the Garden Ave / 403 area no one would go.They are to busy being stoned ,so they obviously have no money for taxi or bus fare.
It appears the Mayor is again playing rough with those he finds offensive to the wlu. Many in Brantford are plain tired of hearing about the “University.” It’s time the University learned to play fair and accept that things go on in that city that conflict with the university…………. too damn bad, i don’t see all this hoopla on an every day basis in the other university towns. This town is unsafe, full of crime, drugs and general malaise…………… are wee going to lock the downtown down to make the university happy? Isn’t it enough we see these students ruining market street every night in closet bars not fit for mice? I’d like to see all of your energy used in reducing taxes in that blacked out town………………. before it gets any worse.