A sobering center in the United States/via Reuters

The City of Kamloops is demanding answers about why the Interior Health Authority has reportedly decided it’s not interested in funding a sobering centre for the city.

Councillor Dale Bass says she received word from someone in the office of Mental Health and Addictions Minister Jennifer Whiteside that Interior Health is not interested in the idea.

“The Interior Health Authority as it has been all freakin’ along – says too bad so sad. I’d like us to do something. I’d like to know first of all if the inquest will have any – any freaking impact whatsoever and I’m sorry but I’m angry,” stated a frustrated Bass as part of her Tuesday Councillor report.

It comes after council had been given the impression for months that all the parties were onboard the sobering center concept for Kamloops.

“I would move that we send a letter to Minister Whiteside as well as relevant contacts at I-H,” said Councillor Katie Neustaeter in response to the revelation by Bass.  “I would say that was news to me. I had not heard that I-H had thumbed their nose at the proposal so I think that we should look for that information as well to make sure that we understand their position.”

In the end, council has voted to draft letters to Interior Health, Minister Whiteside and Health Minister Adrian Dix demanding answers and a path forward.

They hope to get facetime with all three parties either in-person or virtually.

“They need to give us reasons. This is effecting our community. We have to deal with it,” added Councillor Stephen Karpuk.  “We should be finding out how do we resolve this issue? It would be hard for them to say no in-person I can guarantee you that. I think we’d be better off not only with a letter but requesting that they be present so that we can solve this in-person.”

The establishment of a sobering centre was one of the recommendations made following a Coroner’s Inquest into the death of a man in RCMP cells.

An updated business case for a sobering and assessment centre in Kamloops has recommended the 10-bed facility be set up at the former Phoenix Centre downtown.

The business case has also identified the Day One Society – formerly the Kamloops Society for Drug and Alcohol Services – as the ideal operator for the long-sought facility near Royal Inland Hospital.

A sobering centre is meant to provide a medically supervised place for people to come down from their most recent stint with drugs or alcohol, as an alternative to locking someone up overnight or having the medical system take care of them.

Editors Note:  Radio NL does have calls out to Interior Health for comment