"MR. HERARD: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are to
the chair of AADAC, the hon. Member for Calgary-
Bow. In my
last town hall meeting parents with children in the Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre expressed concern and disbelief that this program that successfully returns young addicts and their families to a meaningful life is still not part of AADAC's
mainstream adolescent treatment program. Now the centre is
again facing closure and still does not receive ongoing support from AADAC. Would the chair of AADAC indicate why this
successful program does not receive funding?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. Member for Calgary-
Bow.
MRS. LAING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The AADAC centre,
it is true, does not receive ongoing funding at this time. Origi-
May 25, 1994 Alberta Hansard 2183
nally this centre was set up with the understanding that the funding would come from clients and private corporate fund-raising. Operational costs were not sought from the government.
However, they have requested and have received onetime start- up
funding of $ 600,000 in November of ' 89 and in November of ' 93, onetime interim emergency funding of $ 100,000.
MR. HERARD: Well, without any disrespect, what does AARC
have to do to qualify for funding from AADAC?
MRS. LAING: Mr. Speaker, if AADAC is to respond to any
further funding requests, it would require a formal report and proposal. They would also have to complete an evaluation and review of their program, their clients' needs, and the affordability of the program.
MR. HERARD: Is the chair of AADAC prepared to look into
this funding crisis and see what can be done to save this meaning-ful adolescent recovery program?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. member.
MRS. LAING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Actually, I have not
been contacted directly by this group for funding in the current status. However, I will ask AADAC officials to review the
situation.
Thank you."
The Wiz of course could never deal with Marie Laing. M. Laing was a licensed psychologist, later teaching at the University of Alberta, whereas the Wiz had to lie for years about being a psychologist. Funny how the original self-financing Kids program became the insatiable Provincial money-vacuum AARC.
"As such, Kids of the Canadian West approached AADAC to see if we would be able to support them
in some way, and through an extensive examination of the
program and the people involved in Calgary with Kids of the Canadian West, we asked the government to assist in supplying an equal amount of dollars, on a one-
time funding only, to those
moneys that would be raised from the private sector by Kids of the Canadian West. The Kids of the Canadian West program is self-
financing from that point on."
