Safe Injection Site wanted in Montreal
Coalition presses Bolduc on safe-injection sites
The Gazette
Published: 7 hours ago
MONTREAL - A coalition of 20 community groups is calling on provincial health minister Yves Bolduc to go back on his recent decision regarding safe-injection sites.
Last week, Bolduc said he wouldn't consider building a safe injection site in Montreal until more impact studies are done. Meanwhile, his federal counterpart, Tony Clement, railed against doctors who support safe-injection sites in a speech before the Canadian Medical Association.
Bolduc's predecessor, Philippe Couillard, had said in June that he was open to the creation of safe-injection sites because they had been proven to work in other parts of the world and in Vancouver, where Canada's only injection site is found.
The coalition will make their formal request of Bolduc today at a press conference.
Tony Clement can only hold off this tidal surge of opinion for so long. Even though it doesn't align with his right wing conservative values... It has been proven that he is of the minority opinion. The World Health Organization, Canadian Doctors and the voting public are in favour of safe injection sites.
This is the right thing to do. Right and wrong know no political mandate.
I hope we see one in every city.
Colin
I agree with you colinford. I also hope that we would see some in each city.
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i agree with colin.
safe injections sites just make sense (something politicians seem to steer clear of)
they save lives.
the whole cornerstone of harm reduction is to keep people alive in hope that if the day comes that they want to do something different, whether that be getting clean, using safely or maintaining they are not only around (alive) to be able to do that, but also connected to resources that may be able to support them in their decision.
the harm reduction approach works, not only for the user, but for those around them including the community at large. and because money seems to matter the most to politicians and those with similar thought patterns, it works from a monetary perspective, reducing health care and other first responders costs.
from my perspective there should be more than one in each city. there should be as many as is needed, not just one put in the ghetto, because let's face it there are iv drug users in different parts of the city and not everyone who wants to have access to a safe injection site is able to travel to the only one in the city.
having watched and participated in the debates here in vancouver, it reminds me of when, several years ago there was all this debate and protest about putting sharp boxes in throughout the city. no one wanted the sharps boxes, but no one wanted to see dirty rigs on the ground. people don't want to see open drug use, they don't want people to die, but they don't want to support strategies aimed at proving alternatives.