Ottawa Public Health still has no plan to open supervised injection site

The City of Ottawa's public health agency still has no plans to open a supervised drug injection site and says it would thoroughly review any plans by its partner agencies to do so.

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The statement comes after Toronto's medical officer of health released a report Mondayon the health benefits of supervised injection services and the steps being madeto implement the services in Toronto.

Ottawa's medical officer of health,Dr. Isra Levy, wasn't available for an interview Monday.Ottawa Public Health issued a statement instead, saying it's actively monitoring developments and discussions about supervised injections sites, including Toronto's plans.

"At this time, OPH has no plans to open a [supervised injection]facility in Ottawa however, OPH is aware that some of our community partner agencies are exploring this option which should include robust community consultations," the agency said.

"OPH would review any supervised-injection site proposal for Ottawa from a health perspective and recognizes that for long-term viability of supervised injection facilities in Ottawa, a range of factors would need to be considered including the views of the community, police, local businesses, local and provincial government officials, as well as potential sources of funding."

Reducing harm continues to be a priority,Ottawa Public Health said,adding that it and its 19 partner agencies already "provide broad ranging harm reduction programs in Ottawa every day of the week."