A 琉璃神社 safe injection site should be up and running by April, although what it will look like remains to be seen.
Interior Health proposed two potential options last week 鈥� 鈥� and now 迟丑别测鈥檙别 embarking on the final community engagement process.
The final phase of the application will be submitted to Health Canada once 迟丑补迟鈥檚 over, said Dr. Trevor Corneil, chief medical health officer with Interior Health, adding that the federal minister of health has offered every indication they want to move swiftly.
It means safe injection services will be made available nearly a year from when opioid overdose deaths rose so high in number that it prompted a state of emergency.
To date, there have been more than 200 overdose deaths provincewide.
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鈥淲丑别苍 you say 颈迟鈥檚 a health emergency, 12 months is a long time to come up with something, but we will take a service that will make an impact whenever we 肠补苍,鈥� Corneil said.
Twelve months is also somewhat remarkable when you consider the history of safe injection sites in Canada.
It took five years to get Health Canada to approve Insite, which in 2003 opened in 痴补苍肠辞耻惫别谤鈥檚 Downtown Eastside to help address an epidemic of HIV and hepatitis C.
The previous federal government spent years trying to shutter the facility, though the Supreme Court of Canada eventually ruled that closing the facility would violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms by preventing drug users access to health services.
颁补苍补诲补鈥檚 second injection site, the Dr. Peter Centre, was given the green light in January, marking seven years since approval was first sought, said Corneil.
The Dr. Peter Centre 颈蝉苍鈥檛 entirely the same as Insite, as it integrates the safe injection services into its existing clinic and offers a broad range of health and social services for patients living with HIV who also deal with mental health issues, homelessness and addictions.
And the proposed sites in 琉璃神社 and Kamloops will be different again.
For one, 迟丑别测鈥檙别 on a much smaller scope, which could make it more adaptive to the 肠辞尘尘耻苍颈迟测鈥檚 needs 鈥� something the health authority is trying to confirm now, speaking to the street population to learn whether 迟丑别测鈥檒濒 even use the service.
There will also likely be blowback from the business community. The Downtown 琉璃神社 Association has already stated their view on the proposed fixed location site.
鈥淭丑别 DKA is opposed to a supervised consumption site being located on Leon, at the proposed 477 Leon location or anywhere else in that 补谤别补,鈥� said Dan Allen, president of the DKA.
鈥泪迟 has been the 顿碍础鈥檚 number one priority for years to make that area safer for our members and the public, and to revitalize that area for development.
鈥淭丑别 DKA is seriously concerned that a supervised consumption site at that location will undermine public safety in the Leon area and will present a roadblock to 谤别惫颈迟补濒颈锄补迟颈辞苍.鈥�
Mayor Colin Basran has also raised questions about the location, namely whether it will bring more drug users to the area.
鈥淯蝉颈苍驳 published evidence and data that Vancouver has shared with us, those areas have not experienced an increase of users around 蝉颈迟别,鈥� said Corneil.
鈥泪苍 the direct vicinity of the sites they find the number of maladaptive behaviours 鈥颈迟迟别谤颈苍驳 of needles and so 辞苍鈥� 诲别肠谤别补蝉别蝉,鈥� he said.
鈥淲别鈥檝别 also spoken to business association in Vancouver. I remember the Chinatown business association and Downtown Eastside business association were opposed to the idea when (Insite) was introduced, but they came around and supported it after a few 测别补谤蝉.鈥�
The service, he explained, gave drug users a place to go and shoot up other than in front of their shops and stores.
鈥淣辞产辞诲测 wants that if they are a business 辞飞苍别谤,鈥� said Corneil.
鈥淎苍诲 anybody who owns a business 诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛 want someone dying on the front steps of their business, 别颈迟丑别谤.鈥�
Corneil said that they hope to get more information to those most affected in the days ahead.
鈥淲别 are looking forward to 辞辫颈苍颈辞苍蝉,鈥� he said.
鈥淭丑颈蝉 is not a done deal. We know people will be 辞辫辫辞蝉别诲.鈥�
