HARPER & CO. GO TO THE BRINK ONCE AGAIN OVER FATE OF INSITE

A high anxiety, effort-wasting melodrama once again is playing itself
out over the future of Vancouver's supervised injection site -- all
in the name of politics.

Since its election in 2006, the Harper government has asserted that
more research is needed to test Insite's effectiveness, and has only
reluctantly granted reprieves to allow the facility's continued operation.

Now, the Downtown Eastside resource is due to close on June 30 unless
the feds agree to maintain Insite's exemption under Canada's drug laws.

Conservatives don't want to be seen supporting an endeavour that
sanctions drug use. After all, they derive their core support from
those who agree with Stephen Harper's strong stand against crime and drug use.

At the same time, it would be dangerous for Harper to order an
outright shutdown of Insite's operations. Such a move could turn off
those who aren't ideologically Conservative but support Harper simply
for delivering what they perceive to be sound government.

To broaden his appeal, Harper has tried hard not to cultivate a
reputation as a right-wing ideologue since becoming PM.

An election is in the offing within 18 months. This is not the time
for Harper's party, pretty well tied with Liberals in polls, to be
making moves that could cost support.

And boarding up Insite would cost support. It's an unhappy fact of
life for Conservatives that Insite has become a fairly good-news story.

The five-year-old operation, North America's only supervised
injection site, has stayed in the headlines primarily because of
Ottawa's continued refusal to grant it permanent status.

Every time the centre is due to close, vigorous and convincing public
relations efforts are mounted by locals to prove the project's
virtues, all of which work against the Harper government's desire to
be done with the thing.

This week, well-known Vancouver criminologist Neil Boyd spoke out in
favour of Insite while in Ottawa. And in Vancouver a rally was held
at a Downtown Eastside park as an expression of support for the facility.

The B.C. Nurses Union will speak out in favour on Friday. B.C.
Premier Gordon Campbell, municipal politicians and former Vancouver
mayors Philip Owen, Mike Harcourt and Larry Campbell are longstanding
supporters. All federal opposition parties are in favour of keeping
Insite operating.

No one likes the notion of sanctioning drug use. But the fact is, the
centre -- provincially funded at a cost of $2.3 million a year -- has
registered at least some success on the harm-reduction side.

Between 600 and 700 intravenous drug users daily visit the
street-front operation on East Hastings, open 20 hours a day. Albeit
they account for but five per cent of the neighbourhood's illegal
drug injections. In the past year, 222 users have overdosed and
received immediate medical intervention at Insite.

Since 2003, a total of 882 interventions have taken place and no one has died.

Such interventions inevitably divert patients from Vancouver's
overworked hospital emergency departments. They cut down on the
amount of needle-sharing in the Downtown Eastside and reduce
injection-related litter in the area.

As of last September, Insite operations were extended to the second
and third floors of the East Hastings location.

Onsite, upstairs from Insite, sensibly, provides "detox on demand"
for those wanting to get off drugs. This is a practical way of
nabbing those who express interest before they lose their will. Since
last fall, 220 drug users have made the journey up to the second floor.

On the third floor, 18 beds are provided for the homeless, which can
be used by occupants for up to 18 months.

In the past year, 3,862 addicts received first aid and medical care
from Insite staff and 2,269 were referred to social and health agencies.

In other words, good work is going on. It obviously would be
counterproductive to disrupt the benefits being derived by these lost
souls in our city.

Sadly, the decision about Insite's future will not be made based on
what is good or bad for the addicts or for the city of Vancouver. The
decision will be based largely on political considerations.

Mercifully, in advance of an election campaign, the Harper government
will be reluctant to confront the community backlash that would
derive from Insite's closure. Count on another extension.