Pubdate: Thu, 17 Aug 2006
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2006 The Ottawa Citizen
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Chris Cobb
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?142 (Safe Injecting Rooms)

PM PRESSED ON SAFE INJECTION SITE

Government's Silence Worries Delegates

TORONTO - To the sound of angry lunchtime motorists honking their 
horns, protesters stopped traffic at one of Canada's busiest 
intersections yesterday to protest the Harper government's continuing 
refusal to say whether it will allow a safe injection site in 
Vancouver to stay open.

About 500 protesters left in buses from the International AIDS 
Conference to briefly block 336 Toronto intersections, but the bulk 
of them headed to Yonge and Bloor streets. Organizers were unable to 
confirm whether the protests had been successful at all 336 -- a 
number chosen because 336 people who overdosed at the injection site 
are still alive.

The injection site's three-year exemption from federal drug laws 
expires next month.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has already expressed his philosophical 
opposition to safe injection sites, but promised earlier this year to 
wait for evidence of its effectiveness before making a decision on 
whether to prolong its life. The centre, called Insite, released a 
study here on Tuesday saying that the evidence is overwhelmingly in 
favour of the centre remaining open.

Former U.S. president Bill Clinton also gave the injection site a 
boost at his news conference yesterday, saying the sites are a vital 
tool in the fight against AIDS and admitting he was wrong to oppose 
them when he was president.

Bloc Quebecois health critic Christiane Gagnon made a surprise 
appearance at the rally yesterday, urging Mr. Harper to follow Mr. 
Clinton's example.

"The Bloc thinks you're right to ask Mr. Harper to change his mind, 
like Mr. Clinton changed his mind," she told the crowd. "We will 
pressurize Harper when the House if Commons resumes but I hope he 
changes his mind before. His head is in the sand."

Federal Health Minister Tony Clement is apparently scheduled to make 
an announcement related to AIDS before the conference ends on Friday, 
but he has already hastily postponed one news conference without 
explanation. His staff refuse to say when the announcement will be 
made -- if it all.

Gillian Maxwell, spokeswoman for the Insite centre, said if Canadians 
want a meaningful anti-AIDS policy, safe injection sites need to be 
available nationwide.

"People who inject need safe health facilities to stop the spread of 
HIV," she said. "This isn't just a Vancouver problem, it's a national 
problem. If we're going to get on top of HIV in Canada we're going to 
have to provide these sites for people."

Rally organizer Christopher Livingstone, from Vancouver, said he is 
worried about the injection site's future. "If the federal government 
had good news," he said, "they would have announced it at the AIDS 
conference, which is the perfect opportunity."

Mr. Livingstone said it makes financial sense to keep the site open: 
"If you prevent one person from getting HIV you're saving at least 
$350,000 a year."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom