The city’s top public health official is calling for the creation of supervised injection sites as a way to reduce the growing number of deaths from drug overdoses.
According to a report in the Globe and Mail, Medical Officer of Health Dr. David McKeown will release a report Monday that calls on city council to support the establishment of three to five supervised injection sites.
The newspaper says that the report recommends housing the sites in existing health clinics or centres that already provide services to addicts, such as needle exchange programs.
A press conference has been called for Monday morning, where McKeown is expected to comment on his recommendation.
The report will then be debated at a March 21 Board of Health meeting.
Speaking with CP24 on Saturday afternoon, board of health member and chair of the Toronto Drug Strategy Joe Cressy said that supervised drug injection facilities ultimately save lives and can reduce healthcare costs in the process.
According to a previous report, there was a 41 per cent increase in drug-related deaths in the city between 2004 and 2013 (from 146 to 206).
“The reality in our city is that people are using drugs and that hasn’t changed no matter what measure has been taken,” he said. “This is about ensuring that people aren’t dying due to drug use and aren’t transmitting HIV or Hepatitis C but it is also about public safety because we have needles that are being found in our parks, school yards and coffee shops.”
It is not immediately clear where in the city the facilities would be placed, but the Globe and Mail says that McKeown’s report advocates having them spread out over a larger geographical area rather than being clustered in the core.
CP24 has reached out to McKeown and was told through his spokesperson that he will “speak to the need” for supervised injection services in the city on Monday.
“Drug use is already in our backyards. By having supervised injection services you can bring it inside and make the community safer,” Cressy told CP24. “This is about saving people’s lives.”
According to a City of Toronto press release, supervised injection sites “provide a safe, hygienic environment for people to inject pre-obtained drugs under a nurse's supervision.”
Currently, the only supervised-injection site in Canada is located in Vancouver, however that city has recieved permission to create a second facility. Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre has aslo previously said that he hopes to open four facilities in his city.
Under legislation passed in 2013, municipalities must apply for an exemption to the Controlled Drug and Substances Act (CDSA) in order to open a supervised injection site.
