Western Journalism

When David Winninger cast his final vote as a city councillor, he knew he would lose.

Still he voted against enacting a one-year ban on new methadone clinics in London.

“I was definitely opposed to it because the people who take methadone, who are prescribed methadone, are trying to deal with their opiod dependency and that's the kind of medicine they need, in many cases, every day of the week,” said the former Ward 11 councillor.

Despite the potential benefits, councillors and communities alike are hesitant to approve a new clinic. City council finds itself in political hot water as attempts to improve methadone distribution clash with the ‘not in my backyard’ philosophy of citizens.

Mayor Joe Fontana said “It will always come down to that 'not in my back yard' issue (…) We wanted to make sure that that we had our policy in place first, so we had to impose that development freeze.”

He thinks location is the biggest political issue the city faces when it comes to methadone treatment.

Fontana said he is in favour of  a dispersal strategy which will ensure that treatment facilities are not concentrated in one particular area.

Andrew Sancton, a politics professor and expert on municipal government at the University of Western Ontario said the city may need clinics, but if a councillor were to actively promote a methadone clinic in their own ward, "that would be pretty close to political suicide."

He said, “the primary objective (of councillors) is to satisfy the desires and interests of the people who vote for them in their own particular ward(…) but nobody, in any ward, is likely to want a methadone clinic in their area”

At the corner of Dundas and William Streets, Clinic 528, London’s largest methadone distributor serves 820 of the city’s 1404 patients each day.

According to a report filed by the city’s planning committee in November, waiting areas in methadone clinics are unable to cope with the high volume of patients coming in daily, resulting in line-ups outside the clinic and congestion on the sidewalk.

The same report suggested a one-year moratorium be placed on new methadone clinics, giving the city an opportunity to assess protocols for determining an appropriate policy.

The ban was passed on Novembre 15, 2010.

This past month, the country’s largest network of methadone clinics – Ontario Addiction Treatment Centres – hired local lawyer Allan Patton to challenge the ban imposed by the city in order to open up a new facility in London’s South of Horton (SoHo) neighbourhood.The case will be heard in front of the Ontario Municipal Board.

The prospect of a new clinic in SoHo was met with contempt from community members however, was calmed just this past week when a third party purchased the property they were vying for on Bathurst Street.

Despite the loss, the OATC is still challenging the moratorium.

Nancy Hamm, a coordinator with SoHo Neighbourhood Watch, is an example of a politically active citizen who opposes the idea of a new clinic in her community. She said the neighbourhood has already dealt with drug activity and a methadone clinic would only exacerbate the problem.

“You can’t really blame a clinic, but it makes things more congested if you know what I mean. It brings the people to the area,” she said.

Ahmad Waqas, co-owner of Sam’s Variety located near Clinic 528, said the presence of a methadone clinic attracts an unsavory crowd. 

“The way I see it – it doesn’t necessarily help – you can’t treat crack addiction with methadone. They’ll just get addicted to that.” 

Dr. Martyn Judson, medical director of Clinic 528, said methadone is an effective way to treat addiction and ultimately reduces crime, gets women off the street.

"We've taken the clinic to where patients are situated and where they need us."

Judson said the community’s aversion and fears of methadone clinics are unfounded.

“It really stems from the attitude of 'not in my back yard.' Everybody (will) recognize it’s an issue and something needs to be done about it, but no one’s prepared to sacrifice any location near where they reside or work to be an area where a clinic could be situated.”

He thinks that the moratorium is just buying the city some time to set unnecessary guidelines for methadone clinics.

“Clinics are already regulated by the College of Physicians and Surgeons so we don’t need another body to tell us what we can do,” he said.

Judson added that the ban could do some good in the end.

“It will enable the city to find areas where the clinics could be located. It might mean that they’d be located in places with adequate parking for staff and patients that drive to the clinic,” he said.

“Clinics could be located in areas that discourage loitering and appease local residents, areas that wouldn’t be close to schools or churches.” However, he stressed that clinic is located where it needs to be.

The OATC challenge of the moratorium is expected to take place this March.

Opinion: the separate realities of addiction

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Pundits weigh in on the future of methadone distribution in London

David Winninger, former city councillor

If the former ward 11 Counc. had his way, he would lift the one-year ban on new methadone clinics. Why? London, he says, needs more clinics.

Joe Fontana, mayor

He may not have been sitting on council when the moratorium was effectuated, but the former Liberal MP believes the city is doing the right thing: investigating the issue. The goal, he says, is dispersing methadone services throughout the city.

Dr. Martyn Judson, Clinic 528

A leader in drug addiction therapy, Dr. Martyn Judson believes in the status quo: stay out OATC and we don't need you city council, he says.