Health authority plans for more drug injection sites in Vancouver

published on January 21, 2016 by Mike Howell, in VancouverCourier

Dr. Patricia Daly buoyed by Trudeau government's support for Dr. Peter Centre site

Vancouver Coastal Health is pushing ahead with a plan to provide more supervised drug injection sites in the city and open them in existing community health centres.

Dr. Patricia Daly, chief medical health officer for the health authority, said the plan is in its early stages and involves examining which health centres have the greatest need for the service.

"If we put in another application [to Health Canada], it will be for more than one site," Daly told the Courier by telephone this week. "It wouldn't be for 10, but it would probably be for a handful of sites to start with. We've got a few that we're considering but I don't want to publicly say them right now."

Up until last week, Vancouver's only legal injection site was Insite on East Hastings, a facility that opened in September 2003. The Dr. Peter Centre, which caters to people with AIDS and those dealing with mental health and addictions issues, has operated an injection room for its clients since February 2002.

Last week, Health Canada officially granted the Centre an exemption under the country's drug laws to continue operating what has been a technically illegal three-booth injection room. Daly described the news as significant and a signal the new Trudeau government is open to more drug injection facilities in Vancouver and across the country.

But, she said, for more applicants to be successful in getting an exemption for an injection site, the Trudeau government must repeal a leftover piece of legislation from the Harper era.The Respect for Communities Act, or Bill C-2, is still in effect. Daly, other health officials and harm reduction advocates have said the list of criteria outlined in the bill is onerous and makes it very difficult, if not impossible, for an applicant to be granted an exemption for an injection service.

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Health authority plans for more drug injection sites in Vancouver

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