Pubdate: Wed, 27 Jun 2007
Source: Victoria News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2007 Victoria News
Contact:  http://www.vicnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1267
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n728/a02.html?63318
Author: Miki Hansen

COLUMNIST CORRECTED

Tom Winterhoff's column in last Friday's paper provides  an excellent 
portrayal of the challenges AIDS Vancouver  Island faces in working 
to address the impacts that the  needle exchange has on the 
surrounding neighbourhood.

He accurately points out that the Vancouver Island  Health Authority 
and the provincial government urgently  need to attend to the effects 
of addiction, poverty and  homelessness on our community.

There are also two small, but significant, errors in  Mr. 
Winterhoff's column that it is important to  correct.

First, he says that "VIHA wants to reduce its annual  contribution to 
AVI's three south Island facilities by  37.5 per cent," which is 
inaccurate. AVI does not have  three facilities in Victoria. VIHA has 
proposed a 37.5  per cent cut to three separate AIDS 
service  organizations in the south Island: AIDS Vancouver  Island, 
the Vancouver Island Persons With AIDS Society  and the Victoria AIDS 
Resource and Community Service  Society.

Second, Mr. Winterhoff suggests that VIHA's funding to  AVI will be 
cut by $468,000. This is incorrect. The  three agencies mentioned 
above are collectively facing  cuts of $450,000, effective April 1, 
2008 - cuts  which will mean significant reductions in services for 
people with HIV/AIDS in our community.

Miki Hansen,

executive director,

AIDS Vancouver Island, Victoria
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom