Pubdate: Thu, 28 Apr 2016
Source: City Centre Mirror (CN ON)
Copyright: 2016 Metroland Media Group Ltd
Contact:  http://www.insidetoronto.com/citycentre-toronto-on
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4438
Author: Justin Skinner

RESIDENTS UPSET OVER POTENTIAL SAFE INJECTION SITE NEAR YONGE AND DUNDAS

With a safe injection site potentially slated to open up at The Works 
near Yonge and Dundas, some members of the public are angry over a 
lack of public consultation prior to the location being selected.

At a public meeting on Wednesday, April 20, Toronto Centre-Rosedale 
(Ward 27) Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, City of Toronto Medical 
Officer of Health Dr. David McKeown and The Works manager Shaun 
Hopkins offered up some facts and details about safe injection sites 
in general.

While members of the public acknowledged the need for such a 
facility, some expressed dismay over its location and the fact that 
The Works was chosen as a site without those living in the area being 
offered the chance to give feedback.

"Was there any sort of public consultation?" one audience member 
repeatedly asked McKeown, prompting the Medical Officer of Health to 
acknowledge that indeed there was not.

Despite the opposition from some in the audience, The Works does have 
a number of points that make it an ideal site for such a facility. 
For starters, it's easily accessible and right in the downtown core, 
and studies have shown that drug users will often not travel a long 
distance to inject drugs.

Second, it has already housed a needle exchange program for 
intravenous drug users since 1989 and provides other medical care 
such as HIV and hepatitis C testing. Staff there are also trained in 
de-escalation techniques should the need arise.

While many, including McKeown in his capacity as Toronto's lead 
proponent of health, have come out firmly in support of safe 
injection sites in the city - The Works was one of three sites 
proposed - Wong-Tam noted there is still a lot to be learned before 
the sites become a reality.

"This is all new for Toronto, so we want to make sure we get it 
right," she said. "At the end of the day, what we don't want to do is 
put out a service that doesn't meet the needs of the community."

Based on images presented at the meeting, the safe injection site 
would feature a utilitarian space where intravenous drug users would 
be able to inject drugs using clean needles and a "chill out" space 
where clients could be monitored to ensure they do not overdose or 
otherwise react badly to the drugs. Nurses on hand would be able to 
offer immediate assistance to anyone in distress.

McKeown said sites like the one proposed for The Works offers a 
multitude of benefits to clients, as evidenced by the more than 90 
safe injection sites that have opened up around the world.

"They first reduce the number of overdose deaths, and for me that's 
the biggest public health problem we're trying to address here," he said.

Given that Toronto has seen a 56 per cent increase in overdose deaths 
from 2004 to 2014, that is not something that can simply be dismissed.

"(Safe injection sites) also reduce behaviours that lead to the 
transmission of communicable diseases (such as HIV and hepatitis C,)" 
McKeown said.

He added that, by using the services available at safe injection 
sites, drug users gain increased access to additional health care 
services and counselling which they might not otherwise have.

Beyond that, he said, there are fewer people injecting drugs in 
public and fewer discarded needles on the street.

Importantly, he noted that there is no evidence linking safe 
injection sites to a growth in street crime in the surrounding area.

"It doesn't seem to happen, and that's been shown in cities around 
the world," he said.

Hopkins noted that The Works does not have a set plan on how the safe 
injection site would be run as of yet.

"We would talk to our clients and ask questions, like how often would 
they use it, what time of day, weekdays or weekend," she said. "We 
would also be looking to see what kinds of drugs (clients) use, how 
often they inject and whether they've ever overdosed before."

As part of the meeting, members of the public were asked to fill out 
a questionnaire asking them to describe the neighbourhood and outline 
any benefits or concerns they foresee should The Works become home to 
a safe injection site.

A report on the public consultations is due back before the Toronto 
Board of Health by July 4. Those looking to weigh in on the matter 
can do so at www.toronto-sis.ca

"This is the beginning of the conversation and not the end," Wong-Tam 
said. "One thing I'm gathering is there's a real drive and a thirst 
and a quest for more information."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom