EDITORIAL – Where Dr. Carol Fenton and the health system are all wrong

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

DR. CAROL FENTON has been taking a verbal beating lately over the drugs-in-parks bylaw issue.

Not only is strong pushback coming from within municipal government but the Internet trolls have been dishing out some pretty nasty stuff, including what they undoubtedly think are very clever nicknames.

This, because Fenton — the Kamloops medical health officer — objects to the idea of municipalities passing bylaws banning drug use in public places such as parks.

She and others in the healthcare industry are of the opinion that cities should instead focus on other options such as more supervised injection sites, and should wait six months to get a better understanding of the impact of decriminalization.

Such public disagreements are academic, as it’s widely acknowledged that drugs-in-parks bylaws won’t work even if they do get Health Ministry approval, which is unlikely.

At any rate, Fenton isn’t the problem. She’s simply one spokesperson for a healthcare system that is totally out of step with the reality of what’s happening on our streets. That system is mired in a conviction that if we do enough of the things that have been shown not to work, we’ll get the job done.

That approach is living in the past. Nothing that has been tried has worked. Overdose deaths keep increasing. Crime rises. Social disorder grows. People are sick and tired of constantly giving, and getting no results.

The pendulum has swung to the point at which the public good has taken second place to the interests of the few. Those few, of course, deserve opportunities for housing and treatment, but not at the expense of everyday families.

There are answers, if there’s the political will to use them. One is reform of the bail system. Another is the return of mandatory treatment, which is not cruel; allowing the addicted to fend for themselves on the street, to the detriment of all, is what’s cruel.

It’s time to get our priorities straight.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired newspaper editor. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.