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Concerns about location and size of Sault's withdrawal management site

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Sault Ste. Marie -

With a rezoning request approved by city council, Sault Ste. Marie's new 20-bed residential withdrawal management facility will move into the property at 145 Old Garden River Rd.

While council unanimously approved the site, there are some lingering concerns about the adequacy of the facility and how it might impact the neighbourhood.

Sault Area Hospital has said the property fits the proposed use as far as size and proximity to the hospital. However, city council heard this week concerns about how such a facility might impact neighbourhood safety and property values.

City councillor Matthew Shoemaker, who represents the ward where the site is located, said those concerns have been addressed by hospital officials.

"We heard that the police work closely with the withdrawal management team and that there have been no incidents since the facility moved up to the hospital that required police intervention and there were very few at the prior facility on Queen Street," said Shoemaker.

However, he said the facility may not be big enough.

"Nobody was going to say no to 20 beds and obviously you saw that we approved the rezoning request," Shoemaker said. "But we need more beds and we should be knocking at the provincial government's door every day until we get those additional beds."

Officials said they're aiming to have the new facility up and running within the next year. The founder of Save Our Young Adults from Prescription Drug Abuse -- or SOYA -- said she'd prefer to see a firm opening date.

"I wish it was sooner," said Connie Raynor-Elliott. "We lose people all the time. The longer it waits to be open, the more people we're going to lose. I'd like to see it sooner -- I would really like a solid deadline."

Raynor-Elliott also has concerns about the size of the facility, but said she and her clients are grateful nonetheless.

"It's not perfect by no means, but it's a really good start," she said. "I'm getting a lot of positive feedback from the people that we help out and they are excited about it."

Raynor-Elliott said the residential withdrawal management facility has been years in the making. Drug overdoses happen daily in Sault Ste. Marie, she added, with the number fluctuating depending on the time of the month. 

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