Pubdate: Wed, 21 Feb 2007
Source: Vancouver Courier (CN BC)
Copyright: 2007 Vancouver Courier
Contact:  http://www.vancourier.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/474
Author: Allen Garr
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction)

SULLIVAN RUNS OWN DRUG SHOW

How many federal Tories does it take to convince Stephen Harper to do 
something? You may want to ask Mayor Sam Sullivan.

He just added former Tory MP John Reynolds to the board of the Inner 
Change Society. That's the non-profit organization Sullivan is 
creating to sell Ottawa on a stimulant substitution program to treat 
drug addicts. The idea is to "change the drug culture" by 
substituting illegal street drugs addicts are now shooting into their 
veins with prescription pharmaceutical drugs they can swallow.

Reynolds, who chaired the Tories' 2006 federal election campaign and 
will help run the next one, is arguably the most influential 
unelected Conservative in the country.

Last week Sullivan announced the appointment of another long-time 
Tory, Lois Johnson. She co-chaired the leadership bid by federal 
Minister of Health Tony Clement.

Now she'll run this society. Although it hasn't been incorporated and 
she has yet to be paid, she hopes to have the project up and running 
by the fall.

The plan has never come before council but Sullivan has lobbied 
Tories in Ottawa on the issue several times in the past year. Indeed, 
he says Clement wants the substitution proposal given to him directly.

Conservatives like the plan for a couple of reasons. Unlike the 
supervised injection site it doesn't involve illegal drugs or drug 
dealers, and unlike the NAOMI heroin maintenance project it doesn't 
involve needles. But most important, it's not something left over by 
the Liberals.

What we are seeing being rolled out now has been months in the 
planning. Typical of Sullivan's style of operating, much of it has 
been done beyond the scrutiny of either city staff or city council. 
It is as if public policy is being framed and promoted by a private charity.

The scheme is being financed by private funds, like Sullivan's 
campaign slush fund, which is outside the control of the NPA. That 
means there is no transparency or accountability.

The spin on all of this is being managed by Sullivan's pal Wayne 
Hartrick and his Reputations PR organization.

Hartrick was involved in organizing last November's poll funded by 
that campaign slush fund. (The same fund was used to hire another 
Tory organizer, George Higgins, to do political work for Sam.)

The poll results showing public support for stimulant substitution 
were made public Feb. 9, along with an announcement that Sullivan was 
organizing a "group" that was seeking an exemption from Health Canada 
to allow doctors to prescribe stimulant substitutes to addicts.

Later that same day Sullivan kicked off a series of three meetings 
with members of the Four Pillars Coalition, a group of bureaucrats 
and community activists involved with the city's drug policy.

That's where Sullivan rolled out his grand plan and introduced the 
crowd to Jackson and Reynolds. On Feb. 15, the next news release 
produced a story about Jackson's appointment. That appeared in the 
press on the final day of the meetings along with news that Dr. David 
Marsh, the head of addiction services with Vancouver Coastal Health, 
the Vancouver Coastal Health's medical health officer, Dr. John 
Blatherwick, and the province's medical health officer, Dr. Perry 
Kendall, had all accepted Sullivan's invitation to sit on the 
society's clinical advisory committee.

The mayor is also trying to recruit a "prominent" NDPer to the board 
to create a less partisan patina.

There is some consensus that this project can play a small part in 
dealing with the city's drug problem. But folks within the NPA, 
particularly the Liberals, see Sullivan's continued actions of 
private fundraising and embracing Tory operatives in a different 
light. They believe he will either take over the NPA all together or, 
failing that, turn his back on it and run his own show.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom