Party in Holland Park page 3
Eagles complete a sweep of Chiefs page 39
Thursday March 28, 2013
Serving Surrey and North Delta www.surreyleader.com
Poll finds support for more tolls and taxes
A SOFT LAUNCH into RECOVERY
‘Surprising’ results from TransLink funding survey
Surrey’s newest facility for people with addictions is a place of first contact with those who can help
by Jeff Nagel MOST LOWER Mainland
BOAZ JOSEPH / THE LEADER
The simple overnight beds and sparse rooms at the Quibble Creek Sobering and Assessment Centre are for clients’ safety. by Kevin Diakiw
HARD to HELP A Leader special series examines the shattering effects of mental illness
W
henever the woman with mental health problems got high, she’d tear off her clothes and dance naked in Surrey’s streets. Every time, police responded, got her dressed, and took her to the holding cells at the RCMP detachment to sleep it off. The next night, it would happen again. It happened with such frequency, the issue came to the attention of then-councillor Dianne Watts, who was the chair of the city’s Public Safety Committee.
Watts was deeply concerned on two main levels. Firstly, she said at the time, people who are sick don’t belong in jail. Secondly, Watts was bothered about the tremendous use of police resources to handle what was essentially a health issue. Watts spoke with others, such as addictions expert Michael Wilson, and hatched a plan for a sobering centre, where people could come off drugs and/or alcohol in a more clinical environment. Surrey could provide the land, B.C. Housing the structure, and Fraser Health Authority the staff. It took almost a decade to bring the
idea to reality, but by last September, the Quibble Creek Sobering and Assessment Centre was up and running at 13670 94A Avenue. Those who are brought to the 25-bed sobering centre are too drunk for shelters and not sick enough for hospitals. Even though it’s been operational for eight months, there’s been a slow uptake. On a recent “Welfare Wednesday,” (the day of the month when lowincome clients receive their social assistance cheques and often spend money on illicit substances), there were no clients at the 25-bed facility. See SOBERING CENTRE / Page 10 Also see more stories on Pages 8-9
Editorial 6 Letters 7 Sports 39 People 45 Classifieds 49
residents are willing to pony up more money for TransLink, but they’re split on exactly what kind of new tax, fee or toll should be imposed. That’s the result of a new online poll conducted by Insights West. It found 72 per cent of respondents support new funding sources for the troubled Steve Mossop transportation authority, which needs billions of dollars to launch rapid transit expansions and maintain the existing system.
See SURVEY / Page 5
Save time, save money.
On the prowl again.