Pubdate: Fri, 30 Jan 2004 Source: Surrey Leader (CN BC) Copyright: 2004 Surrey Leader Contact: http://www.surreyleader.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1236 Author: Kevin Diakiw MAYOR CALLS FOR SOCIAL PLAN This city needs a social services plan to deal with substance abuse and homelessness, according to the mayor. The exact details are as yet unclear, but the fact Doug McCallum is now asking for the document is a breakthrough for at least two councillors. The initiative comes five years after Coun. Judy Villeneuve began regularly asking her colleagues for such a plan. She's been repeatedly turned down by council members, including McCallum, who have been reluctant to pick up related costs and responsibilities from senior levels of government. "We still believe that," McCallum said Thursday. The difference now is Victoria and Ottawa appear more willing to provide funding for social services. "We're already seeing them loosening (the purse strings) in these programs." Villeneuve has been chair of the city's social planning committee since the early 1990s. "We had a meeting yesterday (and) to my understanding they want to put together a social plan," Villeneuve said Thursday. "In the past that's been rejected ... the rationale is that it was not on the agenda, it was other levels of governments' responsibility." She noted that the plans are important in securing funding from senior levels of government for homeless shelters, detox facilities, treatment centres and other social services. McCallum also cited Surrey's fast growth as one of the main reasons the city needs a social plan now. He said with the arrival of more people comes associated problems including drug use and homelessness. Recent figures put Surrey's population at 390,000, and it is expected the city's population will surpass Vancouver's in the next 10 to 15 years. Despite having questions about the timing of the mayor's announcement, Villeneuve is pleased a social plan is finally coming. "I'm very happy they're seeing it as a priority," Villeneuve said. Coun. Dianne Watts, chair of the city's drug-crime task force, is also delighted the mayor has pushed the social plan forward on his agenda. The work she has done on a drug plan will also be folded into the city's social services document. "I think this is a tremendous breakthrough," said Watts, who has been working on the city's addictions issues for the past eight years. She points out Villeneuve has pushed for such a plan for a long time and "there's been typically minimal response to a number of these issues." McCallum said both the drug-crime task force and social planning committee will be "playing a big role" in developing the plan. A public process will begin soon. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin