Debate to continue Tuesday on safe drug injection sites in Edmonton

Citizens have told Edmonton city councillorsMonday that more consultation is needed before council takes the next steps toward setting up supervised drug-injection sites in inner-city neighbourhoods.

"Talking to less than 0.1 per cent of the Edmontonians within four blocks of the drug injection sites is not a proper consultation," Spruce Avenue resident Ken Harcus told councillors.

• Safe injection sites could open in Edmonton within a year

• McCauley residents fear safe injection sites will lead to more neighbourhood problems

Edmonton is considering a proposal to have supervised injection services offered at threecommunity agencies Boyle McCauley Health Centre, Boyle Street Community Services and the George Spady Centre.

A fourth program would be set up at the RoyalAlexandra Hospital for inpatients only.

Rather than setting up services where people can legally inject drugs, the focus should be on providing help for people to getoff drugs, Harcus said.

"Drug injection sites are like fighting pneumonia with Kleenex," he said.

PetraSchulz, wholost her son Danny to afentanyloverdose in 2014,told councillorsasafe place to inject drugs should includeother services so users can build relationships andtrust asa "bridge to recovery."

Supervised injectionsites have been proven to save lives and prevent infections among drug users, said Shelley Williams, executive director ofHIV Edmonton.

The sites are not the be-all and end-all in dealing with drug addiction in the city, she said.

"This is only one solution, it is not the solution, and it's certainly not a magic bullet," Williams said.

Compromises suggested

Several speakers raised the possibility of paring down the proposal to only one siteand that it be run as a pilot project.

That's not likely the direction councillorswill take, said Coun. Michael Walters.

"What we're trying to deal with here is the 24-hour-a-day, seven-days-a-week access to services for people who are at risk of dying," said Walters.

Safe drug-injection sites are an interim measure to permanent supportive housing, said Coun. Scott McKeen.

He said he understands the frustration people in the Boyle-McCauley neighbourhoods feel about having a concentration of services for the homeless and addicted in their neighbourhoods.

McKeen wants the city to look outside of those areas when the time comes to locate newpermanent supportive housing.

"I think it's up to this council to find sites around the community that will work," McKeen said.

The city will have to do itshomework to prove to residents "they are not in danger" when it comes to this type of supportive housing, he added.

City council will likely move ahead on the issue when it meets tomorrow, said Mayor Don Iveson.

"The key is monitoring,"Ivesonsaid."The questions are how will any unintended negative consequences to the neighbourhoods be dealt with."