New addictions centre loses permit after Hampton neighbours complain
Tribunal says location of private rehab on Darlings Island causing 'unreasonable hardship'
Adam Beman and his father Michael were just weeks away from opening their private addiction recovery centre at 277 Darlings Island Rd. when they had to cancel all appointments for incoming patients.
"I had a phone call from the wife of one of the guys who was set to come," Adam said.
"She's crying ... she's lost hope, because we've hit another roadblock."
Therapy at the fledgling centre has now been put on hold after neighbours made formal complaints, arguing the rehab would pose a danger to their children and make their homes unsellable.
A provincial land planning tribunal sided with those neighbours, ruling on June 10 that the Town of Hampton had misapplied the zoning by-law, and in doing so caused unreasonable hardship.
The tribunal ordered the rehab's development permit withdrawn and revoked, and the town complied.
The Bemans said that forced them to make some difficult phone calls.
With their first patient due to arrive July 15, they had to wave him off, and tell the others that Hidden Secret's residential therapy program is now on hold while the Bemans consider their legal options.
Months of planning and investment
The Bemans say it's a terrible disappointment to have to deny help to families who are suffering from the ravages of addiction — a pain they know too well.
Adam Beman struggled with his own addictions for years.
Highly motivated to try to bridge New Brunswick's widely documented service gaps in mental health and addiction treatment, the Bemans spent months searching for the right secluded property where they could set up a program for people to recover.
Over the winter, they found it.
For $1.3 million, the family purchased five hectares on Darlings Island and went to work renovating the 3,000-square-foot main residence with its majestic view of the Hammond River.
The duo hired employees, equipped the on-site gym and erected private counselling offices. They also bought a 12-seat passenger van to transport patients to and away from the site.
Complaints made to tribunal
The Bemans said they only moved ahead because the property had a development permit for supportive housing from the Town of Hampton.
But six neighbours challenged that permit by filing complaints with New Brunswick's Assessment and Planning Appeal Tribunal, an independent body that gives property owners a process to appeal property tax assessments and land use planning decisions.
At an April 23 hearing in Saint John, two neighbours — and five lawyers on behalf of four other neighbours — appeared before the tribunal and presented their complaints, which were later summarized in the tribunal's written decision. Among them:
- "The facility is located just 10 steps from my front door, a place where my children play and where we have raised our family for the past 12 years is nothing short of an imposition on our lives, our safety and our well-being."
- "The proposed development may find that homeowners will find it difficult to sell their property at market value, leading to financial loses and decreased investments in the community."
- "Children who are used to playing and running on our properties until now be exposed to people whose background and behaviour are unpredictable."
The tribunal found sufficient evidence of "special and unreasonable hardship" as defined by the Community Planning Act and ordered the permit withdrawn and revoked.
Regulatory gap
By issuing that order, the tribunal overruled the town planners.
Arthur McCarthy, Hampton's director of planning, and Bailey Brogan, Hampton's assistant planning director, both testified in support of the town's decision to grant the permit.
They said the existing zoning allowed for it and they said the permit application indicated the rehab would provide professional care and supervision around the clock.
The town presented email correspondence from the Department of Health stating the province does not license private rehab.
"Our expectations are that these facilities provide health care by providers that are represented by a professional association, along with an application of their ethic framework," wrote Janique Robichaud-Savoie with the Department of Health.
The Bemans said it has always been their intention to get accreditation from a reputable organization, and say they're following the best practice guidelines provided by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction.
Decades of public pushback
"This is not a new thing for me," said Paul Nason, who was hired by the Bemans to be their clinical director.
Nason comes to the role with a master's degree in social work and 14 years of employment with Horizon at Ridgewood Addiction Services in Saint John. He was also a co-ordinator with Saint John's mental health court.
In his 30-year career, he says pushback is a common theme.
"I've always been up against stereotypes, stigma, resistance and fear when it comes to addiction services," said Nason, who also worked with Saint John's first methadone program and was most recently employed by the Department of National Defence, counselling Canadian Armed Forces members and veterans.
One of his earliest jobs was in Nova Scotia, when it opened an adolescent treatment centre in Lunenburg. Nason remembers then, a petition was set up at the local convenience store, calling for the centre to be removed.
"That was 1999," he said. "It's just been part of it all along."
Group therapy
Nason says he planned to offer group therapy because it's a model of treatment he believes to be effective.
"When folks get together and talk about an issue they have in common, there's a kind of chemistry that occurs that I would call healing," he said.
"The shame is reduced. Folks are not alone. Folks are hearing stories spoken by other group participants. So right away, there's a level of comfort and a level of belonging," Nason said.
Patients coming to Hidden Secret have to be abstinent from substances for at least 10 days, said Nason. They're also expected to pay $10,000 per month, either drawing on personal resources or insurance benefits through their employer.
"The clients buy into our program. They want to stay here. They want to turn their lives around and it's the opposite of what the neighbours think," said Nason.
"We're talking about whole family units who are going to heal. Children are going to thrive, spouses are going to thrive, loved ones are going to thrive. People are going to be able to go back to work. The positive ripple effect that recovery can have on a person and on a community — we refer to it as grace," Nason said.
Record high opioid deaths and 34 public beds
Property owners who are dissatisfied with a decision by New Brunswick's Assessment and Planning Appeal Tribunal can file an application for judicial review with the Court of King's Bench.
The court would then review the record for legal or procedural errors, not the merits of the original decision.
The Bemans say they're considering their next moves. They believe they have more supporters than detractors and that the urgent need for help in New Brunswick is undeniable.
Last September, the province issued a request for proposals for the establishment and operation of a 50-bed therapeutic addiction treatment facility for adults.
CBC requested an update on that file and was provided with an emailed statement from the Health Department.
"As for the 50-bed rehab facility, a letter of intent to negotiate a contract has been issued as a result of the RFP," said the statement. "Negotiations are ongoing and more detailed information will be provided once a service agreement is completed."
According to a recent report from New Brunswick's auditor general, there are 30,000 referrals per year for mental health and addictions services, and the province is failing to meet its owns standards for providing timely care.
In total, the two health authorities operate 34 publicly funded beds, which includes 16 beds in Saint John and 18 beds in Campbellton.
Another 14 transitional beds at Ridgewood are set aside for people who require stabilization and support as they develop recovery plans to transition back into the community.
"Often, we hear of long wait times over 6 months," said Laura MacNeill, executive director of Avenue B Harm Reduction in Saint John.
"And if a person is ready to make a change, it doesn't do much good for them in the moment, and by then, the window of readiness may have passed."
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