DURHAM - Days after abruptly shuttering its doors, an Oshawa marijuana dispensary has reopened, in defiance of a warning from Durham police. The Emerald Triangle dispensary on Simcoe Street North has resumed operations because clients are in need and buying pot on the street isn't a safe alternative for them, said Irie Selkirk, a consultant who spoke on behalf of the dispensary's owners. "This location has chosen to reopen their doors," she said. "The principals here received word from at least 40 patients who are having significant health issues. [continues 289 words]
Mailing pot to MPs won't have the desired impact Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to legalize marijuana, we just don't know when. The marijuana advocates must feel like he's taking too long for their liking given the recent stunt by pot activist Dana Larsen, who sent a special package to the 184 Liberal politicians, including MPs in Durham and Northumberland. The manila envelopes sent to the MPs contains his and illustrator Patrick Dowers' new book Cannabis in Canada, the Illustrated History - as well as a gram of medical-grade marijuana. [continues 311 words]
In recent years the issue of marijuana has changed. Where once it was considered a prohibitive substance, an illegal drug, today its medicinal purposes are being praised as more and more Canadians are prescribed the drug to ease suffering. Health Canada estimates as many as 50,000 Canadians were permitted to use medical marijuana in 2014 for conditions such as chronic pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, anxiety and people undergoing cancer treatment. Oshawa residents Ben Fudge and Marko Ivancicevic are among those 50,000 permitted users and addressed a medical marijuana working group to educate councillors on issues related to the drug. Together they outlined the history of medical marijuana in Canada and highlighted some of the issues that affect municipalities, including zoning for legal marijuana production facilities and the licensing of vapor lounges. [continues 290 words]
Oshawa accessibility committee conducts education session for council members on medical marijuana issues Oshawa considers accessibility issues around medical marijuana OSHAWA -- Oshawa council got a crash course on the issue of medical marijuana at a recent council special education session by members of the Oshawa Accessibility Advisory Committee. In 2013 the committee created a medical marijuana working group and members of the group addressed council on March 2 and delivered a slideshow presentation on issues related to medical marijuana. Working group members Ben Fudge and Marko Ivancicevic outlined the history of medical marijuana in Canada and highlighted some of the issues that affect municipalities, including zoning for legal marijuana production facilities and the licensing of vapor lounges. [continues 552 words]
To the editor: Re: 'Marijuana legalization would be ill-advised', letter to the editor, durhamregion.com, May 8, 2014. The letter writer is seriously mistaken claiming (cannabis) marijuana can cause lung and other cancers since there is not one single dead body to prove it in over 5,000 years of documented use. It's just the opposite, in fact. Worldwide, cannabis has been proven to shrink some cancerous tumors, help get rid of other cancers and keep some cancers from forming. The beneficial God-given plant has even helped millions of citizens who have who have had to face cancer deal with nausea, appetite and pain. A sane or moral argument to continue caging responsible adults who use cannabis doesn't exist. Stan White Dillon, Colorado [end]
Police Should Know If Person, Company Growing Weed DURHAM -- Police departments should be told if a licence is issued to a large-scale medical marijuana grow op. That's the position of both Durham Regional Council and the Durham Regional Police Services board. Regional Council adopted the position following a lengthy debate Wednesday. Marko Ivancicevic, a medical marijuana advocate, said it was "great Regional council is being proactive on the issue." However, he added the motion approved by the police services board was too broad and "it should be specific." [continues 425 words]
To the editor: In April, federal Liberal leader Justin Trudeau visited Durham Region and again stated he favours legalizing marijuana and having it taxed by the government. This idea resonates with many Canadians, but caution is warranted. In April, Harvard University released a study and concluded that even casual use of marijuana causes irreversible brain impairment involving one's ability to adjust to everyday life and make decisions. The report particularly cautions against marijuana use by people under age 30. Marijuana is also known to carry many cancer-causing substances, and can cause lung and other cancers. Legalizing and selling it would lead to more impaired driving and higher insurance and health-care costs. The American states of Washington and Colorado legalized it this year and there are reports of children selling their parents' legal marijuana at schools. Impaired students do not academically do well. [continues 53 words]
Justin Trudeau Makes The Case For Legalizing Marijuana AJAX -- Liberal leader Justin Trudeau spent the afternoon in Ajax on Monday taking questions from residents and drumming up support for his party and his 2015 bid for the Prime Minister's job. The Liberal leader spoke at a luncheon event organized by the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade at the Ajax Convention Centre on Beck Crescent. Mr. Trudeau took questions from the audience and while they covered a range of topics, including his views on education and economic issues, two of the questions dealt with the future of the federally owned Pickering airport lands. [continues 537 words]
Region Says City Should Consider"Adverse Human Health Impacts" OSHAWA -- The burning issue of accommodation for medical marijuana users is now with the City's legal department. This summer the Oshawa Accessibility Advisory Committee asked council to look at including medical marijuana use in the City's manual on accessible customer service. The committee also wants council to formally recognize that "all citizens have the equal right to take their prescribed medication in public without fear of harassment and discrimination." OAAC chairman Derek Giberson says the issue has become a"political hot potato,"bouncing from one level of government to another as policy makers struggle with the stigma associated with pot smoking and a lack of precedent. [continues 307 words]
To the editor: Re: Cannabis Day. Are you kidding me? It's hilarious how it's all about 'medicinal' use. What a crock. What a terrible message and example to send out -- hey, don't try to get better just mask your symptoms with a great big buzz. Oh, by the way, smoking causes no end of issues but you need to get high so I suppose this is as good an excuse as any. Hopefully your 'medicinal' prescription doesn't include care for the new ailments that will surely follow. Just because it's 'natural' doesn't mean you need to ingest it. Yvonne Hess Whitby [end]
Matt Mernagh at the Centre of Court Challenge to Medical Marijuana Legislation OSHAWA -- As the date for Oshawa's third annual Cannabis Day nears, one of Canada's most well-known marijuana activists dropped in to rally the troops and talk about his historic court battle. Toronto resident Matt Mernagh made headlines this spring when an Ontario Superior Court justice struck down Canada's medical marijuana laws and gave the government 90 days to fix the program. It was Mr. Mernagh's case that led to the judge's decision. [continues 305 words]
Police Called to UOIT Campus at April 15 Just Say Know Event OSHAWA -- A drug education conference at UOIT took an ironic turn Friday afternoon when a guest speaker invited to talk about the challenges faced by medical marijuana users says he was harassed - for being a medical marijuana user. Ben Fudge, an Oshawa resident and federally exempted medical marijuana user, was among nine speakers on the agenda for the April 15 Just Say Know conference, the first event of its kind at the university. [continues 677 words]
Marijuana Issue to Be Raised With City of Oshawa Committee OSHAWA -- Is marijuana an accessibility issue? It is if you ask two new members of the Oshawa accessibility committee. Like many local residents with disabilities or medical conditions, Ben Fudge and Marko Ivancicevic have federal exemption cards that allow them to legally smoke pot to manage their symptoms. And both have run up against discrimination from police, security guards, business owners and members of the public who don't understand how the exemption works, or don't care. [continues 383 words]
Four-Year Anniversary For Program That Helps People Kick Life Of Addiction, Crime OSHAWA -- There aren't many courtrooms in Canada where you can freely admit to using illegal drugs, without fear of consequences. In fact, there are precisely nine, one of which is here in Durham Region. "You don't have to be afraid to be honest about what's going on with you, everyone just wants to help," said Vivian Cruz, one of two women who graduated from the Durham Drug Treatment and Mental Health Court on Oct. 18. [continues 1201 words]
Organizers Say Second Annual Event Better Planned After Last Year's Controversy OSHAWA -- Like many people, Ben Fudge starts his day with a coffee and a smoke. But, it's not a nicotine hit he's after when he lights up first thing in the morning. The Oshawa man has been using medical marijuana for years to help manage chronic pain, after being hit by a truck when he was younger. Canes and a scooter help him get around, but he says it's pot that really makes him mobile. [continues 526 words]
It's not often a press release comes in from the Durham Regional Police Service which leaves us in the newsroom scratching our heads. But a release last Friday had us doing just that and asking ourselves if it was a mistake. The release dealt with charges against the owners of an Oshawa convenience store charged with possession of a controlled substance. The release also stated the couple was "allegedly selling illegal drugs over the counter." The release went on to say officers located a candy bucket containing individually wrapped plastic bags of oxycodon tablets and other illegal drugs. It didn't provide names of the accused or the name of the store but added it was located on Ritson Road in Oshawa near a local public school. [continues 281 words]
Mediator Says Park Gathering Wasn't An "Event," Group Shouldn't Have Been Forced To Leave OSHAWA -- There's a right and a wrong way to do things, and local police say that applies to cannabis events, too. Just because pot is illegal doesn't mean there can't be perfectly legal, pro-pot rallies, demonstrations and events. But, they need to be well organized, have the proper permits and take place in a fitting location. Durham Regional Police Deputy Chief Chuck Mercier said that's what tripped up recent efforts to organize Oshawa's first annual Cannabis Day -- not an anti-pot bias from police. [continues 470 words]
Organizer Wants Oshawa Cannabis Day To Be An Annual Event OSHAWA -- A local councillor is worried the City's plans for a family-friendly Canada Day party by the lake could go up in smoke -- literally. In recent weeks, information has been posted on YouTube and Facebook announcing Oshawa Cannabis Day 2009, slated for 4:20 p.m. July 1 at Lakeview Park, the same area where the City hosts its annual Canada Day event. The YouTube videos have been viewed more than 600 times, and local councillors are worried a crowd of pot proponents will light up as hundreds of families gather for live music and fireworks. [continues 405 words]
The Supreme Court of Canada recently ruled on a case that started in Sarnia with regard to the use of police dogs to find drugs in a school gym that had some school bags in it. The court has ruled the search was illegal and as a result the evidence does not count and the kid is innocent. This means there will never be another dog in any school in this country. The dogs need to go into the Supreme Court building because the judges missed a few things in their deliberations. [continues 458 words]
Owner Of Pete's Open Kitchen Says He's Ready To Pack Up And Leave OSHAWA -- Peter Captsis is tired. Tired of finding pills and syringes on the bathroom floor, tired of breaking up fights, tired of listening to foul language float over the tables in his restaurant. For the past two years, he has been trying to make Pete's Open Kitchen a downtown Oshawa success story but says the methadone clinic next door is making that all but impossible. [continues 655 words]
To the editor: Re: Sometimes you just have to dog it, Adam Mercer, Op Ed, Aug. 5 Forget for a second that junk food will kill many times more Canadians than all illegal drugs combined, and consider this; Our kids need to learn that blind obedience and unwavering fealty is far more important than free will, critical thinking, or sensible drug policy. So why stop at sniffer dogs? Why not use daily urine tests for all students at the front door? "Pee in the cup junior, or you don't get to learn nothin' today!" [continues 111 words]
To the editor: Re: Sometimes you just have to dog it, Op Ed, Adam Mercer, Aug. 5 I hope Canada has better success with the police state approach to public health problems like drug abuse than the U.S. Drug-sniffing dogs and random drug testing in schools have led to a loss of civil liberties in America, while failing miserably at preventing drug use. The drug war is in large part a war on marijuana, by far the most popular illicit drug. The University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future survey reports that lifetime use of marijuana is higher in the U.S. than any European country, yet the U.S. is one of the few Western countries that use its criminal justice system to punish citizens who prefer marijuana to martinis. [continues 158 words]
Smell Test Has Value In Uncovering Drugs At Schools Last spring the Supreme Court of Canada heard an appeal about whether police dogs should be used to find drugs in school. As a parent I find it hard to believe anyone would think that we should not be using every tool at our disposal to keep drugs out of schools. The case started because a high school student was found to have five bags of marijuana in his possession as well as 10 magic mushrooms. A police dog found the drugs in his bag as a result of a random search in a high school in Sarnia. [continues 487 words]
To the editor: Re: Music to fight crime by, Feb. 9. I was absolutely flabbergasted by this article. Let me get this straight. The owner of this establishment, the Corner Pocket, has done the right thing by barring drug users and pushers, yet he is expected to pay $15,000 to have an outdoor camera installed? Hello! Isn't there such a thing as a police force? Isn't this one of the things they're supposed to do? One of the things I found most ironic was that five pages before this article was another story aimed at attracting tourists to Durham Region. Corner Pocket owner Joseph Saraco has hit the nail on the head. [continues 110 words]
OSHAWA -- A downtown bar owner is hoping classical music will repel the crowds that congregate on the sidewalk outside his establishment and the City is willing to give it a try. When Joseph Saraco took over ownership of Corner Pocket just over a year ago, he knew the downtown bar had a seedy reputation. But even he was surprised by how out of hand things had become. "It was nuts, just nuts," he says recalling his first few months overseeing the Prince Street bar. "There were people doing lines right off the tables." [continues 361 words]
There are currently 37 countries supplying 30,000 troops to NATO in an effort to help to stabilize the situation in Afghanistan. Canada's contribution to the effort is about 2,500 strong according to the Department of National Defence. Our troops are trying to stabilize a nation and bring it entirely under the control of the Afghan government, in addition to a number of other tasks, including rooting out al-Qaeda and maybe even finding Osama bin Laden. What is making our troops' job so difficult you might ask? Simply put, the country of Afghanistan is largely ruled not by its own government, but by local warlords who can afford to run their own private armies. Those private armies are being paid with money from the opium trade, which brings in enough money to make it impossible to unseat these warlords. [continues 409 words]
OSHAWA -- Police fired several shots at a drug suspect who rammed cruisers and sped off during an attempted bust Sunday night. No one was hurt during the incident, which occurred when members of the Drug Enforcement Unit attempted to arrest the driver of a red Cadillac Escalade in the area of Simcoe and Gibb streets around 9:30 p.m. Officers boxed the SUV in with unmarked cruisers and forced it to stop, police said. When a DEU cop got out of his car to arrest the suspect the driver of the Escalade sped toward the officer, slamming into several police vehicles before taking off. [continues 92 words]
Owners Held on Murder Conspiracy Charge WHITBY -- The notorious Hells Angels clubhouse in central Oshawa remains under police guard after a judge extended a preservation order on the property. Superior Court Justice Robert Clark granted a request for the extension, made by a lawyer representing the provincial Attorney General Monday. The property remains frozen at least until Nov. 21, when lawyers are to be in court once more. The clubhouse, on Ortono Avenue in the Bloor Street - Wilson Road area, has been under police guard since the province moved to seize it under the Civil Remedies Act in late September. Under the act, the government may apply to the courts for forfeiture of assets and properties if it can be proven they are proceeds or instruments of illegal activity. [continues 161 words]
OSHAWA -- More than 75 people, aged 14 to 45, have been charged in a sweeping crackdown on drug activity in Oshawa schools. Durham Regional Police launched the project in early May in response to complaints about drug use at and around schools. Street drugs including marijuana, ecstasy, dilaudid and crack cocaine were seized, along with two knives, police said. Police targeted all high schools as well as neighbouring businesses and parking lots and also patrolled City parks during the blitz, arresting 77 people and laying 101 charges; drugs were seized in 62 instances, police said. More than 25 of the young people caught up in the sweep were given an opportunity to participate in diversion programs, taking drug counselling or performing community service. [end]
To the editor: Re: Want to see criminal dope proceeds go up in smoke? Jeff Mitchell column, April 7. Although legalizing marijuana might be an appealing answer, it is not the right one. The Liberal government was right in developing decriminalization legislation. Why? To think that legalizing the drug for everyone will cut out the middleman makes just as much sense as saying that minimum wages will create more jobs. The opposite is true for both. Legalizing marijuana will allow more people to become middlemen in the pursuit of profit; minimum wage acts as a ceiling floor limiting employment. [continues 95 words]
Residents Get Tough In Reclaiming Celina Street And Surrounding Area From Drugs And Prostitution OSHAWA - From behind the clematis that climbs the front porch of Lyle Henderson's house on Celina Street, you can literally see it all. There's the crack house in the area where regulars come and go like clockwork to feed their habit. Prostitution is so rampant that johns circle the neighbourhood. And the ladies of the evening are bold enough to ply their trade in broad daylight. [continues 394 words]
Downtown Clinic Awarded $43,500 In Legal Costs OSHAWA - The City has been ordered to reimburse a methadone clinic $43,500 for costs incurred during its legal battle with local councillors to stay in downtown Oshawa. The recent Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) decision came as a disappointment for First Step Oshawa Clinic president Fred Lorusso, who had asked for more than $150,000. He argued it was fair compensation for costs the clinic incurred as a result of "the unreasonable and/or bad faith process undertaken by the City" in passing an interim control bylaw, which delayed the issuing of a building permit. [continues 573 words]
Coroner's Inquest Examines Final Hours OSHAWA - They were four very different people who looked to methadone to help them lead normal lives. But a coroner's inquest, which began Monday, will try and determine how the drug may have contributed to their premature deaths. The inquest is expected to last at least a month and will examine the circumstances leading up to the deaths of four methadone users: David Stevenson, 28, who passed away in his sleep Nov. 12, 2002; Craig Beers, 17, who was found dead by his mother in their Bowmanville home July 13, 2003; Steven Pidgeon, 46, who died in his Genosha Hotel room July 16, 2003; and Judith Jenkins, 44, who passed away in her Oshawa home Sept. 21, 2003. [continues 406 words]
City Lauds Effort To Clean Up Neighbourhoods OSHAWA - "Outraged" city residents looking to reclaim their neighbourhoods are being credited for their role in a drug sweep that netted 37 street-level dealers, as well as firearms and thousands of dollars worth of drugs. Oshawa Mayor John Gray was among the officials in attendance Friday afternoon when Durham Regional Police displayed drugs, cash and guns seized during a five-month undercover operation that resulted in 300 charges. He said police responded to concerns raised by city officials, who heard from downtown residents that they'd become fed up with drugs, prostitution and violence plaguing their neighbourhoods. [continues 404 words]
Docked 40 Hours Pay for Misguided Attempt to Support Colleagues OSHAWA The former head of the Durham Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) has been docked 40 hours pay and issued a reprimand after pleading guilty to insubordination and discreditable conduct. Det. Tom Andrews, a 15-year veteran of the service, entered the pleas Wednesday. The pleas and penalty were part of a deal worked out between the police service and Det. Andrews and his lawyer, Bernie O'Brien. Both sides adhered to a pledge not to comment beyond releasing an agreed statement of facts that was read during a brief tribunal at police headquarters in Oshawa. [continues 528 words]
Residents Find It All In Radio Park OSHAWA - A local senior is fighting hard to give Radio Park back to area residents. Florence Francis says groups of teenagers have been using the park as a party spot for months. They bring blankets and sleeping bags, and at one point, even dragged a couch to the park. "The kids are destroying it for people who walk through here," Ms. Francis said in a recent interview. Fed up with seeing the food, cough medicine and pill bottles, glass, and drug paraphernalia left behind in the morning, Ms. Francis, her daughter Janet Jones and four-year-old granddaughter Bri-Ann recently picked up enough garbage at the park to fill two bags. [continues 352 words]
Chief expresses relief, but many officers still angry OSHAWA -- A 20-month investigation into allegations of criminal activity by former Durham Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit members has concluded, with no charges being laid. Chief Kevin McAlpine told reporters Thursday morning that the extensive OPP probe into allegations including assault, theft, misappropriation of funds, perjury and damage to property has resulted in "no reasonable prospect of a criminal conviction." "I personally feel some relief on my own behalf, and on behalf of the members," the chief said during a press conference at police headquarters in downtown Oshawa. [continues 1058 words]
Oshawa Woman Wants To Know Why Methadone Caused Mother's Death OSHAWA -- The drug was supposed to help her, not kill her. Almost a year later, Darlene Jenkins is still asking why methadone, the drug prescribed to help her 44-year-old mother battle her long-time dependency on painkillers, ended up causing her mom's death. "I'd never even heard of the stuff until she told me she was on it," Ms. Jenkins, 25, said. "She obviously wanted the help to get off what she was on, so I was all for it." [continues 905 words]
OPP Investigation Of Durham Police Prompts Delays In Courts Part two in a two-part series on the drug unit investigation DURHAM -- The ongoing investigation into allegations against Durham Region drug unit cops has halted the progress of a number of high-profile cases through the courts. Although no charges have been dismissed while the courts await the outcome of an Ontario Provincial Police investigation begun in February of 2003, the delays are unsettling, said Alex Sosna, who represents the Federal Crown attorney in drug cases in Durham Region. [continues 772 words]
DURHAM -- Durham Regional Police brass are engaged in a "witch hunt" in the wake of allegations of misconduct by members of the drug-enforcement unit (DEU), say cops targeted by the probe. Some sources say an investigation begun by the Ontario Provincial Police in February of 2003 is unlikely to produce evidence of criminal actions among the 11 former DEU cops who are the subject of the probe. They say that laying Police Services Act charges against as many as 30 officers - many of whom were only peripherally connected to DEU activities - is a face-saving effort by a police administration that launched an extensive and costly investigation based on allegations made by one former member of the unit. [continues 1830 words]
OSHAWA-- It's the only thing that makes life bearable, but it has made Jillian a criminal. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis three years ago, the 25-year-old relies on her daily puffs of marijuana to control her pain and the side effects from prescribed medication. The injections of Interferon Beta-1a, which she must take three times a week to curb her attacks, put her into an emotional tailspin, from fits of rage to crying jags. The medication burns and causes her skin to swell. [continues 865 words]
OSHAWA-- A doctor at Oshawa's controversial downtown methadone clinic will face a disciplinary hearing for alleged professional misconduct. Dr. Eric Lloyd Blair Bobby Esbin, known as Dr. Bobby Esbin, faces allegations relating to his methods of prescribing methadone for treating addiction. A hearing date has yet to be set to hear the allegations, which include "the manner in which he permitted patients to take methadone home and the manner in which he increased patients' methadone doses," according to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. [continues 348 words]
Coroners Concerned About Increased Overdoses OSHAWA -- An investigation has been ordered into a string of methadone-related deaths after local coroners cited an alarming increase in the number of fatal overdoses. Regional Coroner Dr. William Lucas ordered the probe of several methadone deaths dating back to 1997 after coroners "expressed concerns" about a higher-than-expected number of overdoses in the Oshawa area. "They believe they're seeing more methadone deaths individually as coroners than would be expected," Dr. Lucas said in an interview Monday. [continues 587 words]
Legalization Is The Only Solution To A Growing Epidemic Canada faces a growing problem, one that must be taken care of sooner than later. Last year it was estimated the number of marijuana cultivation operations in Ontario exceeded 11,380 cases. Further studies showed there were more than 50,000 operations nationwide. Of those operations, more than 150 took place in the Durham Region, and if the Molson brewery incident tells us anything, it's that the cultivation of marijuana is still a booming industry. [continues 441 words]
Oshawa Didn't Do Right By Its Taxpayers On The Downtown Methadone Clinic. Regardless of where you stand on the issue of having a methadone clinic located near the centre of the city, the real travesty is that residents' money has been wasted. According to the City, approximately $400,000 in studies, staff costs and legal fees has been spent looking into the move by First Step Clinic, and we are no closer to finding an amicable solution. In establishing an interim-control bylaw to disallow the methadone clinic downtown, the OMB ruled against the City. Predictably, Oshawa appealed the decision only to lose again. [continues 232 words]
Oshawa Loses Appeal, City's Price Tag In Fight Nears $400,000 OSHAWA-- The City has lost another battle against a downtown methadone clinic. The Ontario divisional court has denied Oshawa council's appeal of the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) decision, which lifted the City's interim control bylaw and allowed First Step Clinic to move to Simcoe Street, just north of Athol Street. The court ruled Thursday the OMB had acted within its jurisdiction by deciding in August 2002 there was "no planning rationale" behind the interim control bylaw. [continues 786 words]
OPP Investigation Of Durham Unit At Centre Of Motion OSHAWA -- A judge has been asked to lift the blanket of secrecy over an OPP probe into alleged wrongdoing by the Durham Regional Police drug unit. An application filed by defence lawyer Barry Fox before Judge Joseph De Filippis seeks the court-ordered disclosure of details of the OPP's ongoing investigation of Durham's drug enforcement unit, now into its 10th month. The defence motion derailed the scheduled trial of Lan Thi Tran, a 32-year-old Pickering woman accused of running a residential marijuana grow operation busted by police in 2002. [continues 458 words]
Says City's Latest Moves Illegal, Discriminatory OSHAWA - Lawyers for the First Step methadone clinic are threatening legal action against the City, claiming Oshawa's efforts to keep the clinic out of downtown constitute harassment. In September the City moved forward enacting a bylaw to limit methadone operations in a certain area of the downtown core and extending the interim bylaw that had originally prevented First Step's move. However, a letter from First Step's lawyer Jane Pepino, addressed to the City's legal representative Stanley Makuch, says the City's latest moves are "illegal, discriminatory, and constitute further bad faith and harassment of our client." [continues 303 words]
More Than $312,000 Spent on Legal Costs, $46,000 On Staff OSHAWA - The City's lengthy legal battle against a downtown methadone clinic has already cost taxpayers approximately $360,000 and more big bills are headed this way. A City staff report released Monday shows the City has incurred more than $312,000 in legal expenses and consulting fees, and more than $46,000 in staff time has been dedicated to fighting the clinic's relocation downtown so far. The battle began in 2002 when the City, worried about the impact of the clinic on downtown, passed an interim-control bylaw blocking the move of the First Step Medical Clinic from King Street, just outside the city's core, to a downtown location on Simcoe Street north of Athol. [continues 263 words]
Downtown Community Weighs In, For And Against, Methadone Clinic OSHAWA - It doesn't bother owners Kim and Doug Ross their new business, Roscoe's Sweet Shoppe, sits directly across the street from the methadone clinic the City has fought tooth and nail against. In fact, they moved into the Simcoe Street space last November knowing exactly who their new neighbours would be. "It really never concerned us, at least not enough to deter us from opening a business," said Mr. Ross. "We looked around and we liked this area. There are a lot of people who don't even realize they are there." [continues 927 words]
