Despite a growing number of studies indicating that supervised injection sites (also referred to as safe injection sites) help reduce drug overdose among addicts and the spread of diseases due to dirty needles, there are only two such facilities in Canada.
The Conservative government was not supportive of safe injection sites and had introduced the Respect for Communities Act which required such facilities to meet stringent requirements including consultations with community members, public health officials, and local police, as well as providing information on local crime rates and public nuisance incidents.
In March 2016 Health Canada granted Vancouver’s Insite safe injection facility a four-year exemption to operate. This was the first time since 2008 that the 13-year-old facility received an exemption that was longer than a year.
Almost at the same time, municipal and health officials in Toronto banded with community leaders in calling for safe injection sites for the city.
To learn more, click on the link to download the infographic: Safe_Injection
