New Community To Be Run By Those With Addictions

Tuesday, December 18, 2007 03:57 AM

Prince George, B.C. - So far, 6 people have taken up residence at what was formerly known as the Moose Springs Resort or Baldy Hughes south of Prince George. The new resident are taking part in a program that Liberal MLA Lorne Mayencourt is putting togther.

Mayencourt in tandem with the provincial government , is hoping to establish a community for those who want o kick drug habits, life on the street, and other problems. The community is called "New Hope".

The model is patterned after a successful community in Italy where all of the people working and living in the community came on their own accord and had problems that they had to over come.

Because it is not located in the city it is the feeling of Mayencourt it gives people extra hope of overcoming their addictions.

Mayencourt says this is just the begining, , "There is so much to be done, to set up and work for the new community. We have to work with the people that will live there to ensure that they approve of what we are doing."

The official opening of the new community is expected to take place in the New Year.

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Posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 03:57 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: BCRacer on December 18 2007 6:31 AM

Doesn't this give one a nice warm feeling/

Posted by: jonnypg on December 18 2007 6:47 AM

And ship them up from Vancouver!

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on December 18 2007 7:38 AM

Is the pub still open?

Posted by: ammonra on December 18 2007 7:53 AM

Out of sight, out of mind.

Posted by: Palopu on December 18 2007 8:31 AM

It would be interesting to see what the cost per individual per year would be for this facility. Having it at Moose Springs adds all sorts of additional costs for transportation, food, medical services etc;

I really do not want to beleive that they will use this facility to lodge people from Vancouver and shut it down after 2010, however the whole concept is somewhat suspect.

Yes the Pub/Lounge is still open.

Posted by: Andyfreeze on December 18 2007 9:09 AM

Actually, I think Palopu may very well be right.
There does appear to be something very suspect about this.
Is it a hiding place for the downtown east side addicts and drunks etc.re:2010?
The way the whole project came about just seems odd...?
It will be interesting to see what is happening out there in a year or so.
(Palopu.. you are kidding right? The bar is NOT still open?..say it isn't so! I haven't been out there in years,but we used to have some legendary curling parties out there years ago!!)

Posted by: BCRacer on December 18 2007 11:28 AM

Our MLA's must think it wonderful as well...Not one has made a comment or stated they don't want it there..
Oh I forgot.... "Paul Nettleton" Syndrome

Posted by: lmorg on December 18 2007 11:28 AM

The place will become a hub for dealers

Posted by: REALIST on December 18 2007 11:30 AM

Sadly organized crime already have the dealers in place. This is nothing more than out of sight out of mind. Welcome to the new concentration camps. Addicts are not in charge, dealers are. Glad I don't live near there.

Posted by: Andyfreeze on December 18 2007 12:07 PM

Hmmm...glad to see I am not the only one who finds this project a bit...odd?
Imorg could very well be right!
What first made me nervous was the fact the MLA Lorne Mayencourt is involved, and how quiet the politicians have been?

Posted by: REALIST on December 18 2007 12:35 PM

Wonder how this could be tied to the Secure Care Act, which allows for the arrest of individuals "FOR THEIR OWN GOOD". Will we see sweeps of the DTS and those taken into custody perished to Mayencourt Estates?

Posted by: Andyfreeze on December 18 2007 1:32 PM

Note the the statement.."Mayencourt in tandem with the provincial government"..and yet we have heard practically nothing from the provincial government on this facility, unless I just missed it.
And just what exactly does "tandem" imply?
Does it imply they are partners?
I'll tell you one thing,I would sure as hell advise against picking up any hitchhikers in the area!

Posted by: Andyfreeze on December 18 2007 1:34 PM

Posted by: Andyfreeze on December 18 2007 1:44 PM

damn...there IS an echo in here!

Posted by: Harbinger on December 18 2007 7:29 PM

Shuttle bus service to Queensway, the Hood or George St? Just like the shuttle bus to the casino and mall fer old people?

Posted by: Palopu on December 18 2007 8:35 PM

Andyfreeze. Moose Springs was sold in Auction by Ritchie Bros this spring. Cant remember who bought it, but the sellers didnts get their price.

The previous owners stayed on and continue to run the place, ie: Restaurant, Bar, and General Store. Some rooms rented to truck drivers.

They were still open for business this fall, and it seems that party time is a number one priority.

Posted by: Palopu on December 18 2007 9:44 PM

I dont have a problem with giving it a chance, however there is a huge difference between Baldy Hughes, buried in the hinterlands of BC with a 5/6 month winter, and basically no place to sell their goods, if that is what they are going to do, and San Patrignano.

You can rest assured that the Owners of Moose Springs are not about to let anyone use their facilitys free of charge. What this means is that the better off people will have to pay their own way with some Government assistance (which is highly unlikely because they can get better treatmnt from any number of facilities in Victoria or the USA) or those who have no money will be sent their, and all the costs will be picked up by the Provincial Government.

We will just have to wait and see what transpires. This is about the 5th major project that has been tried at Baldy Hughes since the Armed Forces left, and they all failed

Posted by: Chester on December 18 2007 10:10 PM

Hey Palopu, who is paying the bills now for all these folks? 10 negative comments to 1 positive one. Pretty typical.

I would like to echo qwaszxter's comments. All we hear is "not in my back yard comments". Now, an alternative is presented and modeled after a very successful project like San Patrignano, one would think most people would want to give a chance. After all, nobody has provided a better alternative, have they? I think it is helpful to take people wanting rehab out of their environment where they have difficulty resisting their habit to a place where they at least have a hope of succeeding. Chester

Posted by: Andyfreeze on December 19 2007 11:13 AM

One thing is for sure...this location is a damn sight better than the Backpacker!
I'll also give them the benefit of the doubt,but it still seems to have been done with a minimum of publicity for some reason.
Why?
Considering there are taxpayer's dollars involved,I do have to wonder about that.
Hey,Campbell actually may have missed a great photo opp, which doesn't happen very damn often!

Posted by: Druidia on December 19 2007 5:37 PM

I just learned that San Patrignano has a high success rate at reintegrating their drug addicts into society.

Wicked thought:
Do they only accept drug addicts with families or do they accept homeless people with drug addiction problems too?

Wicked (?) thought:
It would cost less than $2000 for a plane fare to Italy. Instead of spending endlessly to maintain needle exchange clinics to keep drug addicts shooting themselves up "in a safe environment," the government can sponsor a one-time fee to fly a drug-addicted homeless person to San Patrignano to get all those treatment and education that don't seem to work here in Canada.

Posted by: Druidia on December 19 2007 5:42 PM

Posted by: Palopu on December 19 2007 8:14 PM

I guess we need more information as to what this **New Hope** entails.

It would take at least 100 clients at $600.00 per month to pay the salary and benefits of the one paid staff member for a year. The Provinial Goverment through your medical program would pay for your treatment in a treatment centre for 28 days. Anything beyond that becomes the responsibility of the client. Unless they make some legislative changes people on welfare will not be spending years there. If these people are referred to treatment as an alternative to doing jail time, or to protect them from themselves, then I expect the Government will pickup the whole tab.

What part of the Baldy Hughes site was donated to New Hope. Everything? Or one or two of the barracks that have been sitting empty for years.

When we talk about medical people to be available to look after these people we are talking **big money** San Patrignano presently has 200 resident doctors. How many resident doctors will you have at New Hope???

Posted by: Andyfreeze on December 20 2007 8:51 AM

The money issue is a big unknown so far.
We need to know if our tax dollars are being dumped into this and how much.
And I am sure they are.
How else will they survive?
Heating costs and hydro alone have to be out of this world on that place!
Palopu is right!
We do need more information, and it better be forthcoming soon, or the whole thing could end up in jeapordy.
They need support,not out of sight,out of mind!
I still find something "odd" about the way it has all started.