Pubdate: Thu, 11 Jul 2013
Source: National Post (Canada)
Copyright: 2013 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/wEtbT4yU
Website: http://www.nationalpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286
Author: Megan O'Toole

BOARD URGES SAFE-INJECTION SITE FUNDING

Asks Province for Pilot Project Over Ford's Objections

Toronto's board of health urged the province Wednesday to fund a 
controversial safe-injection pilot program in the city, despite 
renewed objections from Mayor Rob Ford.

The board, chaired by left leaning councillor Joe Mihevc, also 
adopted a staff recommendation calling on the federal government to 
ease countrywide restrictions on the development of safe-injection sites.

The vote came as Mayor Ford vowed he would never support a 
safe-injection site in Toronto, telling reporters at a Pan Am Games 
event "the taxpayers obviously don't want that."

Proponents on the board, however, cited several public health 
benefits to the proposed program, including a reduction in both 
overdose deaths and the transmission of diseases such as HIV.

"Toronto's ready for this conversation," Councillor Gord Perks said, 
calling Wednesday's vote an "opening gambit" in a larger battle.

"We have to be very, very clear that we do expect the province of 
Ontario to make some kind of a statement on this."

Councillor Kristyn WongTam, who said residents in her ward have found 
syringes in playgrounds, added the city has been grappling with the 
issue "on the edges."

"This is a large boulder to push up a very steep hill and it comes 
with a lot of stigma, [but] I believe that Toronto will do the right 
thing," she said.

Councillor Raymond Cho, who voted against the majority, was heckled 
by the assembled crowd when he suggested there may be other options 
to address Toronto's drug use problems and residents should be consulted.

"Everybody talks about the positive side but we don't know the 
negative side," Mr. Cho said.

his comments were overshadowed by supporters of safe-injection sites, 
which - while designed to provide a hygienic and supervised 
environment for drug users to inject pre-obtained drugs - have been 
criticized as legitimizing illegal drug use.

"Closing our eyes to the need doesn't make our communities safer," 
said Dr. Doris Grinspun, head of the registered Nurses' Association of Ontario.

Russ Ford, executive director of the LAMP Community health Centre, 
cited an "obligation" to protect the lives of drug users: "We don't 
like the behaviour, but it exists."

The board, which is made up of councillors and residents, ultimately 
adopted two recommendations: to ask the province to pay to integrate 
supervised injection services "on a pilot basis" with Toronto's 
existing, provincially funded clinical health services; and to 
formally oppose Bill C-65, federal legislation that lays out strict 
requirements for the operation of safe injection sites.

Asked whether Ontario would consider funding a pilot site in Toronto, 
health Minister deb Matthews said safe-injection sites "aren't 
something that we're moving forward with right now, but we do believe 
in an evidence-based approach to harm reduction."

In Canada, safe-injection sites must operate with a federally granted 
exemption from Section 56 of the Controlled drugs & Substances Act 
(CDSA) or risk criminal sanctions.

Bill C-65, the respect for Communities Act, outlines what critics 
call a cumbersome process for obtaining the exemption, including 
mandated police background checks for people applying to work at the clinics.

Although many people are uncomfortable at the prospect of having a 
safe-injection site in their neighbourhood, said Dr. David McKeown, 
Toronto's medical officer of health, injection drug use "exists 
throughout Toronto, exists in every neighbourhood."
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