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Suck our kicks. Western’s men’s soccer team played two games this weekend. >> See details on pg. 7
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Wednesday, September 19, 2012
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Volume 106, Issue 10
East Adelaide doesn’t condone methadone Jesica Hurst News Editor The ongoing battle between residents of an east London neighbourhood and a methadonedispensing pharmacy has finally come to a halt—at least for the time being. Since July, the London residents have been kept in the dark with what has been happening at the newly opened London Drug Mart located at 1617 Dundas Street. But after taking matters into their own hands during a protest on September 3, the clinic was shut down at the end of their shift on September 9. However, since no one can confirm why the clinic closed, Marsha*, a fifth-year Western student and resident of the neighbourhood, believes this may be a shortterm resolution. “There is rumor the clinic was shut down because of the protest, but that hasn’t been confirmed,” she said. “It has shut its doors for now, but the computers are still plugged in and there are still some lights on.” “This is just a temporary thing. This battle may be done, but the war isn’t over.” Marsha and the majority of her neighbours were surprised when they first found out they had been living beside a methadone clinic.
“One day, a sign appeared saying London Drug Mart, and some of my neighbours had suspected they were dispensing methadone,” she explained. “I thought this was impossible—there had been no grand opening, no banners or flyers sent out throughout the neighbourhood. According to people who live directly across from the clinic, they noticed clients going in there while the place was still under construction.” According to Marsha, they never had to inform local residents about the clinic because less than 40 patients were being treated there— the main reasoning behind the protest on Labour Day. Although Paul Hubert, Ward 3 councillor, is unaware why the clinic was closed, he doesn’t think the location of the clinic is the issue. “I think there’s an appropriate place for these clinics, and that’s why we have a bylaw in place to ensure that methadone-dispensing pharmacies are only in certain areas,” Hubert said. “In my personal opinion, we need to wonder why only some pharmacies are dispensing methadone. If all of our pharmacies in London dispensed ten doses of methadone a day, it wouldn’t be a congregation at one particular location.” In an attempt to close down the clinic as quickly as it opened, Marsha and a few other local residents
FILE PHOTO
THIS IS YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD ON METH. A downtown methadone clinic, like the one pictured here at 528 Dundas Street, shut down September 9 for reasons unknown.
from the area began taking photos of the patients entering London Drug Mart—something Hubert argued was inappropriate. “There are other avenues for getting your voice heard. I guess they can protest outside on the sidewalk if they want to, but do we want to demean the person who is trying to get treatment?” he said. “I think we have to be very careful
that we don’t lose our dignity in the context of getting our message out there.” But Marsha wants London residents to understand this protest was not meant to target or victimize the local methadone users. “I understand that picture taking does bother some people, but these photos aren’t going anywhere beyond a memory stick in my
room,” she said. “We are not against methadone users or methadone as a treatment. We are not saying methadone is right or wrong. Our issue is with the policy that enabled this solely methadone-dispensing pharmacy in our neighbourhood— something we want city councillors to address.” *Source’s last name has been removed to preserve anonymity.
Canada 5th worldwide in economic freedom Alex Carmona News Editor
Stats
Rankings of Economic Freedom 1. Hong Kong 2. Singapore 3. New Zealand 4. Switzerland 5. Australia (tie) 5. Canada (tie) … 18. United States Source: Fraser Institute
Anyone who thinks the U.S. provides the best economic opportunities on the continent may want to think again. New data released Monday by the Fraser Institute puts Canada squarely ahead of its southern neighbours in economic freedom, a measure often linked to a nation’s overall level of prosperity. The Economic Freedom of the World report places Canada fifth worldwide, with the U.S. lagging sorely behind in 18th place. “When it comes down to it, economic freedom is the ability of individuals and families to make their own economic decisions free of interference by government or other powerful economic players,” Fred McMahon, vice-president international relations for the Fraser Institute, explained. “For example, it’s economic freedom that prevents the rich and
the powerful from taking advantage of the weak and the poor,” he said. James Gwartney, the primary author of the report, stressed the importance of economic freedom in a well-functioning capitalist society. “It’s really the main institution that underlies a market economy,” he said. “Many people don’t realize how crucial it is.” McMahon elaborated that economic freedom is not an issue that only relates to ivory tower economists. He said it’s an issue that pervades everyday life. “Economics impacts every day people both directly and indirectly. First, it gives people the freedom to choose, compete, to start their own business,” he explained. “But the indirect increases in positive outcomes in economies with a high degree of economic freedom are really quite astonishing as well. The drive and ingenuity
of people beats government planning every day of the week, so that spurs growth and prosperity.” Economic freedom is based on
The drive and ingenuity of people beats government planning every day of the week, so that spurs growth and prosperity. —Fred McMahon
Vice-president international relations for the Fraser Institute
the general principle that everyday people, working freely in coordination, create a better economy than can be created through high levels of government intervention. “Individuals are much better
judges of what they want than either a government bureaucrat, or a crony capitalist. Those things bleed over into an incredible array of positive outcomes that are associated with economic freedom,” he said. According to McMahon, such outcomes include longer lifespans, greater pay equality between men and women and the eradication of the dire kinds of poverty that plague less industrialized countries. He credited Canada’s rise through the ranks to policy implemented by Prime Minister Chretien. “Jean Chretien is from the left wing of a center-left party, yet he reduced the size of government and increased the space of free exchange proportionally more than Margaret Thatcher or even Ronald Reagan did.”