Whitby Shores Community Forums

You beat me to it! I was going to post about this. It really is a shame that the smoking population (patient and employee alike) have to leave the grounds and litter on public property. My family regularly rides through the grounds and we have begun dealing with some very strange people over by Gordon St. It seems that is the most popular place. I'm sure the Whitby Yacht Club loves it! Their parking lot is ground zero. Perhaps at the very least we should ask the town to put in some ashtrays.

Any comments Liz or anyone else from council? This is something that should be dealt with quickly before something happens.

Going along the trail by the hospital used to be part of my walk although since the smoking policy changed I don't feel comfortably walking there by myself. On one occasion a smoker just started yelling at the top of his lungs, not at me but just out loud.

I wonder too where the "dangerous" residents/patients smoke.

Thanks for getting back to the group Elizabeth. I believe in the Clean Air Act and all it stands for, however, in this case I believe that the Whitby Psych needs to step up and make an on-site smoking area for staff and patients. Given the amount of land available this should not be an issue.
As far as experiences, I personally have not been threatened by any people "out for a smoke" but have had to get myself and my kids off our bikes to go around a large gaggle of smokers on the path. I would also say that there are many varied people present. Some appear harmless and some not so harmless. As other people have mentioned in this thread, nothing has happened yet but people are now actively avoiding that portion of the Waterfront Trail as a result of the situation.
I think we all appreciate any exposure this matter receives at Town Council. Thank you!

Jordan.

So our cause made the front page of the most recent Whitby this Week! WooHoo! I can't believe it. This should help things along. And for the record I think it's totally irresponsible for WMHC to be offloading their smoking problem onto the Town of Whitby and the community of Whitby Shores.

Jordan.

I have noticed a new security van recently at the end of Gordon on my early morning bus rides to the GO. Perhaps the WMHC has heard our voices?

Jabber.

I agree totally......
Deal with the smokeing on their own property,,,,they have enough of it.

Chris,

First, let me say that we are glad that WMHC is making an effort (through you) to reach out the community it is located in. Most of us are reasonable people and we do recognize the need to have mental hospitals where people with serious mental issues can be kept safe, monitored and properly medicated. I for one (I’m not sure about all my neighbours) don’t mind having a facility of such kind in my community. They must be located somewhere and this location is as good as any.

I do, however, get very upset (I guess I am overly protective that way about my family) when I learn from the Regional Durham Police website that:

- Another patient left the facility
- The patient has left suicidal notes
- The patient was found exposing himself in a public place
- A small knife was found on him when he was tackled by a cop when he tried to escape his arrest.

Now, I don’t know about you Chris, but in moments like this I think about my two children (lovely boys aged 3 and 5) and my wife. I assume the guy was not confined to WMHC for not paying his traffic tickets on time and the idea of him leaving the confines of the hospital with a weapon disturbs me greatly.

Because of the current patient confidentiality laws, we don’t know anything about the patients confined to the hospital. Based on various press articles, we believe that some of them where found not criminally responsible for some serious offences due to their diagnosed mental disorders. If we are wrong about this, this is your chance to set the record straight and tell us more information regarding your residents.

This is not the first time a patient went missing. Every time it happens, we learn from secondary sources (press, police websites). We never hear from the hospital itself regarding the details of each incident and what efforts are being undertaken to prevent it from happening the next time. An apology after each incident like the above one would also go a long way to mend your relationship with the community. If you really want to prevent any further “miscommunications” I would suggest after each such incident, a public report should be made available outlining what went wrong and what is being done to prevent it from happening again. That way we will not be left guessing what is really going on behind those tall walls.

I think this statement is a bit harsh.  It is my understanding that this forum is an open one, and welcomes all polite commentary.

Yes, we would like to see all of the requested information, and no, we will not be satisfied until we do.  However, we will not be rude in asking for it, nor will we shun people who try to help in the meantime.  That's my opinion, at least.

I have have welcomed Chris to join our forum and, like the rest of you, to express his opinions and thoughts, regardless of their popularity.

Everyone has the opportunity to voice their own opinion on this forum provided they are respectful to the other members on the board.

Rudeness is not life, at least on not on this board.

Nan
Board Admin