Pubdate: Wed, 17 Jan 2007 Source: Kelowna Capital News (CN BC) Copyright: 2007, West Partners Publishing Ltd. Contact: http://www.kelownacapnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1294 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) FOUR PILLARS WOBBLE ON ONE LEG Whatever happened to the Four Pillars, the made-in-Kelowna approach to dealing with drug addiction and the street level problems it engenders? Kelowna RCMP Supt. Bill McKinnon asked that question yesterday at a Rotary Club function where he spoke of the problems police have with drug addicted repeat offenders. It's a good question. The so-called Four Pillars approach was the solution touted by a variety of local social service agencies for what was seen as an epidemic of street crime--drug dealing and drug use, petty theft and panhandling. Instead of trying to hammer it down with law enforcement, the Four Pillars calls for equal parts enforcement, prevention, treatment and harm reduction. Under the guise of the Mayor's Task Force on Public Safety, the city set up a committee which was to figure out how to bring the Four Pillars from concept to reality. But as McKinnon pointed out Tuesday, only the enforcement pillar seems to be in strong play and addicts still face waiting times for treatment at the point when they need it the most. His evidence? A group of 39 drug addicts arrested in downtown Kelowna 18 months ago have all been involved with police again since then and many are facing further criminal charges. The superintendent is calling for more resources to be devoted to treatment for addicts, a surprise given that McKinnon is known as a law-and-order man who doesn't support decriminalization of recreational drugs and thinks the justice system is too lenient. So what did happen to the Four Pillars? Could it be that the same social service agencies who were so involved in setting it up, dropped it like a hot potato when they saw there was no real government funding attached to it? Or are the people of Kelowna, some who protested mightily at the creation of supportive housing for addicts downtown, not ready for that type of harm reduction? - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin