Pubdate: Sat, 17 Sep 2016
Source: Edmonton Sun (CN AB)
Copyright: 2016 Canoe Limited Partnership.
Contact: http://www.edmontonsun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.edmontonsun.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/135
Author: Yukon Jack
Page: 6

SAFE INJECTION NOT A GATEWAY

People get twitchy when you start talking about safe injection
sites.

A clean, safe spot where needle drug users can use needle
drugs.

Vancouver's still the only spot in the country but that could be
changing if the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta gets
their way.

They voted unanimously to support a safe injection site right here in
the city and people are twitching like its Footloose in 1984.

"No dancing. Dancing leads to touching. Touching leads to fornicating.
No safe injection sites. Because soon we'll have a town full of
dancing, touching, fornicating needle drug users!"

You could put a safe injection sight on every corner in downtown and
I'm not going to take up opioids.

Further to that, not having safe injection sights won't be any level
of deterrent to current drug users.

There no deterrent factor with opioids.

The only way off them is medicated, supervised treatment.

Thankfully more and more people are understanding this and fewer have
their heads buried in the sand like the Foot-losers.

I'd like to think that it's because we're progressing.

But the scary part is the reason behind that progression and
understanding are the staggering number of opioid overdoses in the
past few years.

In the meantime... I'll just shut my big yap.

*

Allowance no Different from Financial Reality

I have two sons. And for all the mess they make, for as much work as
they are, for all the stuff they break, they're also great little helpers.

They love to chip in and help their dad with my duties around the
homestead.

Only thing is, when they do help, they make a mess, they're a tonne of
work, they break stuff and everything takes twice as long.

They're 1 and 3. It's what they do.

But I'm sticking with it because it's training. And right now, in the
pre-allowance days, it's free labour.

One day they will shovel snow, sort recycles, clean kitchens, scrub
showers and one day they will even cut the Yukonolawn.

They will be compensated for it.

I'll follow the same allowance guidelines my folks
followed.

The same guidelines that I hated as a kid. I had to work for my
money.

It was never as much as I wanted. And I was paid bi-weekly which seems
to take forever.

Why were these the rules for my parents?

Why will these be the rules for my sons? Because these are the rules
in life.

Raise your hand if you currently have to work for a paycheque, it's
too small and you could use one every Friday instead of every other.

May as well set the precedent of disappointment early.

In the meantime... I'll just shut my big yap.
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MAP posted-by: Matt