Tougher rules for opening supervised injection sites

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The feds are introducing some strict new regulations when it comes to approving supervised injection sites and that’s causing concern about the future of the only such site in Canada: Insite in Vancouver.

In 2011, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled Insite can stay open, but it still requires an exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. It has to re-apply for that exemption on an annual basis, and these new rules will make that more difficult.

It’s current exemption expires March 31, 2014.

“Our government believes that creating a location for sanctioned use of drugs obtained from illicit sources has the potential for great harm in a community,” says Minister of Health Leona Aglukkaq. “Accordingly, we believe that the application process needs to be changed to create formal opportunities for local voices to be heard, and their views considered before an exemption would be considered.”

Operators of Insite will have to submit projected crime stats for the area and Aglukkaq will also hear from local stakeholders, such as politicians and police, before she decides whether to allow the site to stay open.

Mark Townsend with the Portland Hotel Society isn’t pleased with the changes.

“Why is this still going on?” he asks. “This was approved a decade ago and we had to go all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada! Obviously, Stephen Harper didn’t like that decision and now they’re trying to muck around a bit.”

Townsend also fears the new legislation will make it much tougher for other cities to get supervised injection sites.

“Insite can meet all of the criteria easily, partly because the federal government spent more than three million dollars assessing Insite, so we have all of that data we can use,” he tells News1130. “But if another group makes an application, where are they going to get the money to pay for it?”

The ‘Respect for Communities Act’ has the support of Canadian Police Association.

“Front-line law enforcement strongly believes that it is important for there to be a high threshold for applicants to meet before any supervised consumption site can be considered,” says Tom Stamatakis. “While treating drug addiction is an important goal, my experience in Vancouver is that these sites also lead to an increase in criminal behaviour and disorder in the surrounding community and have a significant impact on police resources, and that’s why it will be vital for the views of local police to be taken into account.”

Toronto, Montreal, and Victoria have considered supervised injection sites in the past, but Insite remains the only location in the country.