It's good to see a positive news story coming out of the Baldy Hughes Addiction Treatment Centre and Therapeutic Community as three more of its clients were awarded high-school equivalent B.C. Adult Dogwood certificates late last month.
Congratulations to Aaron W., Kevin P., Steve A. for yet another achievement, and one we hope takes you on the path towards health and happiness.
The Citizen would have been happy to cover the event, however readers will have to settle for a news release. So instead of sharing your success in a meaningful way, we get to tout the treatment centre and the continuing education program - because that's really the story here.
"The continuing education program at Baldy Hughes is an important part of the recovery process for our men - it's a tremendously valuable way to build self-esteem and create a platform they can build on", said School District 57's Center for Learning Alternatives vice-principal Peter Goudal, the architect of the education program at Baldy Hughes.
Too bad we can't hear that from the clients themselves. That's because the media - and subsequently the public - has been completely shut out from the facility's initiatives despite (or because of?) the disturbing buzz surrounding its alleged mismanagement.
Despite the clamp down on information, the Citizen continues to pursue answers with regards to the once popular and successful rehab facility on the outskirts of town, as the city buzzes with stories of people abandoning ship - from board members to clients to counsellors to medical professionals.
This facility is a publically-funded program that - need it really be said? - is answerable to the people. It needs scrutiny to ensure it meets its funding requirements. But it seems no one is acting as watchdog.
Baldy Hughes has several obligations to maintain - the number of clients being one of them. We hear the facility has gone below its mandated number, but we can't be sure since no one is answering that previously simple question.
Also, in order to meet rules under the BC Society Act, the board must be voted in by its membership. We'd like to know: what membership? No chance of getting that answer anytime soon.
And in a surprisingly tone deaf move from this new populist government, the province appears to be running scared from the topic as well.
Shirley Bond - the MLA in whose riding the treatment centre resides - has neglected to answer questions on the subject over the past several months.
After years in politics, Bond should know that avoiding questions doesn't make them go away, they just drive rhetoric - often to ridiculous heights.
It's a far cry from the 2009 version of Bond, who helped out when Baldy Hughes was on the verge of collapse by connecting director Marshall Smith with Minister of Housing and Social Development Rich Coleman, resulting in official approval from the provincial government and new momentum.
As the MLA and an apparent insider, Bond should be paying very close attention to this situation, but from what we hear through her assistants, she is unaware of the goings-on at the centre.
It's time our leaders stepped up and showed the same courage the recovering men of Baldy Hughes show every day.
-- Prince George Citizen
