Some people working near a methadone treatment clinic in Red Deer say they don't understand the outcry in Calgary.

Calgary's only private methadone clinic, Second Chance Recovery, is closing after several attempts to find a new home. The same company operates similar clinics in Red Deer, Medicine Hat and Lethbridge.

'They aren't lepers. They aren't scary people. They have feelings.'—Laverne Stevenson

In Red Deer, 180 patients are served in an anonymous bungalow on a downtown street with a mix of businesses and homes.

Central Alberta Methadone Program office manager Laverne Stevenson said she can't understand why so many Calgarians don't want a methadone clinic in their neighbourhood. People who come in the doors are praying for help, she said.

"They aren't lepers. They aren't scary people. They have feelings," she said on Thursday.

The clinic operates without government funding, so doctors charge Alberta Health for their services and donate the money back to the clinic.

Neighbouring businesses unconcerned

Diane Anderson, who works at a travel agency nearby, said she was appalled when she heard about the Calgary clinic's plans to close. Opponents must not know anything about methadone clinics, she said.

"They're afraid that their children are going to be influenced somehow. They are afraid they are going to find used syringes in the gutter, they are going to find broken bottles, they are going to find rubby-dubs. I don't know what they think, but it's just not true. We see people from all walks going in there."

"Put yourself in that situation and you're trying to get help. Why are you being condemned for that?" added co-worker Linda Simpson.

At another business, Tim Wright, said he doesn't have much to say about the clinic. "They don't bother us too much and we don't really notice it," he said.

Several moves for Calgary clinic

In Calgary, Second Chance Recovery treats about 500 people trying to kick addictions to heroin and prescription drugs.

The private clinic was located downtown for six years, but its lease was not renewed, so it relocated to a light industrial park on 41st Avenue N.E. in late 2008.

The Highland Park Community Association pointed out the area wasn't zoned for a medical clinic, resulting in the city ordering it to move out.

A deal to lease a space in a strip mall in the southeast community of Forest Lawn fell through in April after opposition from businesses and residents there.

This week, the clinic moved to the community of Braeside, but is shutting down in the face of neighbourhood outcry and threats to clinic staff.

Calgary's only other methadone treatment centre is run by the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission. With 300 clients, that facility has a three-month waiting list.