Pubdate: Wed, 20 Feb 2002
Source: Oshawa This Week (CN ON)
Website: http://www.durhamregion.com/
Address: 865 Farewell St., Oshawa, Ontario L1H-7L5
Email:  (905)579-1809
Author: Christy Chase, Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?136 (Methadone)

METHADONE CLINIC RAISES CONCERNS

Downtown Businesses Against The Move

OSHAWA - The proposed relocation of a local methadone clinic is raising 
concerns among local merchants and some councillors. For more than two 
hours Monday, City councillors questioned the doctor and pharmacist 
involved in the treatment of people addicted to opiates and also heard from 
downtown merchants about the new home of the clinic.

Operating for close to five years on King Street at Nassau Street, the 
clinic will be moving to the old National Trust building on Simcoe Street 
just north of Athol Street. The building owner has applied for a building 
permit which City staff said could be issued by the end of the week. That 
matter will be debated in a special development services committee and 
council meetings Wednesday afternoon.

"That's enough in my backyard," said Anna Visconti, a downtown business 
owner and vice president of the Downtown Oshawa Board of Management, at 
Monday's operational services committee. "My backyard has taken more than 
enough."

She said business and building owners are concerned about the impact of the 
clinic on the area. She said several owners were asked to rent their 
buildings for the clinic in the last year but refused. The downtown already 
has soup kitchens and drop-in centres for the homeless, she said. There are 
certain areas of the downtown where people don't want to walk and she 
doesn't want to see another street changed like that, she said.

Darryl Sherman, chairman of DOBOM, said a methadone clinic in the downtown 
doesn't fit in with Vision 2000, a council-backed plan which calls for 
retail, office and residential uses in the downtown. In an interview 
Tuesday morning, he said the board has two legal opinions that the 
methadone clinic is not a permitted use in the downtown.

City staff has said the clinic is a permitted use.

Dr. Mike Semoff, who runs the clinic, and Komal Khosla, a pharmacist and 
owner of New Vision Pharmacy, told the committee the clinic has operated 
for close to five years in its current location with many people unaware of 
its existence. Its neighbours have had no problems with the clinic and its 
clients, they said. They need to move to find more space, they added. The 
clinic has about 480 patients who receive methadone, which reduces cravings 
for opiates but doesn't produce a high.

Dr. Semoff has special training from the College of Physicians and Surgeons 
to allow him to treat opiate addicts and to run a methadone clinic. Dr. 
Khosla said his pharmacy is licensed to dispense methadone. The operation 
has been audited by the College 30 times over the years, Dr. Semoff said.

At the clinic, people who are addicted to opiates (such as medication 
containing codeine) receive a daily dose of methadone, a powder mixed with 
orange juice in the pharmacy, Dr. Semoff said. His clients see him once a 
week usually for counselling and prescriptions and visit the pharmacy daily 
to get their methadone.

Methadone treatment is a long-term treatment and most of his clients will 
be on it for the rest of their lives, he said. The methadone stabilizes 
them and allows them to work and lead regular lives, he said.

Mr. Khosla said 80 per cent of his clients are working people who show up 
at the clinic, get their methadone and then leave. The other 20 per cent 
are on social assistance, he said. Almost all are addicted to prescription 
drugs, he added.

To questions about clients loitering around and potentially causing 
problems for shoppers and business people in the downtown, Dr. Semoff said 
he doesn't allow loitering and works with clients to change their 
behaviour. Mr. Khosla said a handful of people may line up outside the 
clinic before it opens in the morning but they do so because they work and 
don't want to be late.

Mr. Khosla said the clinic rarely has to call police because of problems. 
Durham Regional Police Inspector Bob Chapman told the committee police have 
had little business with the clinic. He added there have been six known 
methadone-related deaths in Oshawa in the last 30 months and there are 
connections to methadone clinic clients, but he can't say which clinics.

Not all merchants are concerned, however. Lisa Antablian, who has her 
business four stores north of the proposed location and also lives 
downtown, said she has no problem with the clinic's new home.

"It's fear-mongering," she said of the reaction to the move. "It's the 
worst case of not-in-my-backyard that I've heard in a long time. It's just 
politics. What we want to know is will they be good neighbours and bring 
business to the downtown."

Outside the meeting, Mr. Khosla said he's frustrated at having to explain 
and defend the clinic, when it's already been operating without problems.

"It's a little frustrating but unfortunately that's the reality," he said.

Both he and Dr. Semoff said they are willing to meet with local merchants 
to discuss the clinic. Last year, council turned down a proposal to rent a 
commercial unit in McLaughlin Square for the clinic.
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager